June Patel, Care Director writes:
I am so proud to be a nurse.
Nursing is a caring, skilled and evidenced-based profession that provides care in so many different settings and makes a difference to the lives of patients and their loved ones in a multitude of ways.
Nursing care at St Richard’s Hospice is also driven by our values and ethos as a hospice informed by love, care compassion and leadership . These values underpin our philosophy of nursing care and on a daily basis we strive to ensure that our nursing teams have the appropriate time to care.
We are inspired by the founder of the hospice movement in the UK, Dame Cicely Saunders, and her approach to care at end of life – ‘You matter because you are you . You matter to the last moment of your life and we will do all we can , not only to help you die in peace but also to live until you die.’
As Care Director, I am in a privileged position to lead, support and nurture our highly skilled 49 nurses and 30 Health Care Assistants working in the community , our In-patient unit and Day Hospice . An important aspect of my role is to encourage creativity and support our nurses to be passionate about continually developing ways in which nursing care can improve the experience of our patients and loved ones at the end of their lives. On a daily basis I am overwhelmed by the standard of nursing care provided which is validated by feedback from patients, families and carers in letters , cards and through social media.
As we celebrate nurses day today, we must also celebrate the many achievements of our nurses working at St Richard’s. We are blessed to have such a committed and caring team and their passion for nursing care demonstrates, so beautifully, the essence of nursing in practice.