The Care Director of St Richard’s Hospice, June Patel, has been shortlisted for the prestigious Nursing Times Awards in the Nurse Leader of the Year category.
As Care Director, Mrs Patel is the Registered Manager responsible for all the nursing and palliative care delivered by the clinical departments at St Richard’s Hospice.
She is both a Registered and Public Health Nurse with a Masters degree in Sociological Research from Warwick University and extensive experience within the NHS at Director level before joining St Richard’s Hospice in 2011.
St Richard’s Chief Executive, Mark Jackson said, “We are all very proud of June and delighted that her hard work and leadership is being recognised nationally. As Care Director, June integrates the qualities of leader, role model, patient advocate and communicator. Her role combines the corporate responsibilities of nurse leadership whilst also supporting team leaders through inspiring, encouraging and nurturing.”
“June recognises the need to raise the profile of palliative and end of life care and was a driving force behind the establishment of the Centre for Palliative Care in partnership with the University of Worcester. Recognising the need to develop practice through research, audit and evaluation she has established a learning culture and we have recently completed participation in our first national research project and are now embarking on becoming a research active hospice.”
Mrs Patel has inspired clinical staff to lead on a series of service improvement strategies including:
- The development of specialist palliative community nursing services – introducing and expanding the Hospice at Home service, the development of Advanced Nurse Practice and applying an appropriate skill-mix to meet differing patient needs.
- Transforming Day Hospice services – this is now a largely therapeutic service and the introduction of Out-patient services gently introduces patients with long term conditions to palliative care.
- Creating a culture and supportive environment for carers – epitomised by the ‘Listening into Action’ Group. Made up of people whose loved ones have used hospice services we now receive constructive criticism that reviews and informs service improvement – suggesting little things that make a significant difference.
Mr Jackson added, “June’s passion is delivering high quality care and this has been evident throughout her nursing career. Never one to compromise on placing patients, and those that are important to them, at the centre of her decision making she embodies the model of holistic care and recognises the importance of spiritual as well as physical wellbeing. Palliative care requires nurses who are resilient, who understand the complex needs of patients and their families, who can withstand the desensitising of death and dying but at the same time deliver compassionate care.”
The Awards ceremony takes place in October in London.
St Richard’s Hospice provides free specialist palliative care for patients living with life-limiting illnesses and supports their families. Each year the hospice team supports over 2,600 patients and family members in Worcestershire with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
Patients are cared for in Day Hospice, the 17-bed In-patient Unit or in their own homes by a specialist professional team as well as many trained volunteers.
In the In-patient Unit, specialist staff are on hand 24 hours a day to manage patients’ symptoms and where, if appropriate, patients may spend the last few days of life in comfort and dignity. St Richard’s is an independent charity and is grateful for all donations to help it to continue its work.