Dr Aisha’s Journey

While the vast majority of our care is provided from the homes of its patients throughout the local community, its inpatient ward – located on Northfleet’s Coldharbour Road – houses 7 beds; and it’s here where you’ll find Dr Aisha doing what she does best.

Trained across multiple continents, and with clinical expertise in various specialties, Dr Aisha – who has been at ellenor for three years – is proving that palliative care is about much more than end-of-life care. It’s about helping her patients live life to the full.

Dr Aisha’s journey to us started around 4,000 miles away, in her native Pakistan, when she graduated from medical school in 2000. After completing her foundation training (F1/F2) there, she moved to Dubai – putting pause on her clinical career to care for her two young children. Dr Aisha would later pursue an MSc in Healthcare Management from the Dubai campus of RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland), before moving to the UK – where she lives with her family today.

Over the years, Dr Aisha has worked in a wide range of specialties – including respiratory, gastroenterology, stroke, elderly care, endocrinology, haematology, and oncology, among others – gathering skills across the entire spectrum of medicine.

Her experience, however, wasn’t limited to clinical practice. After moving to the UK, Dr Aisha also worked for the Department of Work and Pensions as a functional assessor, evaluating patients with long-term, life-limiting illnesses – such as Multiple Sclerosis and Motor Neurone Disease (MND) – to assess their suitability for government benefits.

“I saw how life-limiting conditions were affecting the patients physically, socially, and psychologically,” Dr Aisha recalls, “and how so many of them were living with chronic pain. It was an eye-opener, that experience. Working with those people was very much what I wanted; but I wanted a role where I was able to prescribe to them. In other words, Dr Aisha realised that her calling wasn’t to merely assess these patients – but to help them.

And it was that light-bulb moment that led her to palliative care, a field she now feels is where she belongs. “'I’ve always been drawn to truly listening to patients and understanding their needs,' Dr Aisha reflects. 'Through active listening, I realised I could make a bigger impact in palliative care by providing the support these patients needed.'"

It was during her rotations in gastroenterology, working with patients diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, that she first began to understand the depth of the emotional and psychological challenges faced by people confronting the end of their lives. These patients weren’t just grappling with their illnesses; they were also facing the heartbreak of leaving behind their loved ones – often young families.

“What about all that extra mental stress?” Dr Aisha began to wonder. “The emotional and psychological side of dealing with all those other realities of a life-limited life?” This sense of empathy, of seeing patients as whole human beings with complex needs, defines Dr Aisha’s approach at ellenor. Because, while her clinical experience gives her a deep understanding of the various systems and conditions that can affect patients, it’s her innate compassion that gives her a unique ability to see the bigger picture. 

“As a doctor, you might be dealing with 10 different patients at once, and trying to solve their clinical scenarios,” she explains, “but as a palliative care doctor, you’re looking at the patient’s holistic needs.”

As for us, the Kent and Bexley-based hospice isn’t just giving Dr Aisha the platform to practise palliative care – it’s supporting her as she grows professionally. Dr Aisha is currently pursuing a certificate in Palliative Medicine from King’s College Hospital, with ellenor assisting both by giving her study leave and sponsoring a portion of her tuition fees.

Dr Aisha’s dedication to research is equally important, and she’s already made strides in integrating that into hospice care. (Something traditionally considered difficult due to the nature of the field, and the condition of the patients.) Her involvement in the Chelsea II trial, for example – a project assessing whether subcutaneous fluids can alleviate end-of-life symptoms, such as agitation, in end-of-life patients – speaks to her commitment to improving patient outcomes through research. It’s a slow process, she admits, but one she believes will ultimately enhance the care that life-limited patients receive.

If research is one part of the palliative puzzle, collaboration is another. To this end, Dr Aisha doesn’t just work with her immediate team of doctors, nurses, and healthcare assistants; she actively engages with local GPs, oncologists, and specialists to ensure that her patients receive the best possible care. Whether it’s tracking down a specialist in a rare condition or involving community healthcare workers to get first-hand insights into a patient’s home life, Dr Aisha is relentless in her pursuit of good holistic care.

“ellenor is a place where we treat patients holistically, from all aspects,” she says. “We’re a private charity, but we collaborate with the NHS and try to incorporate specialist advice as much as possible.”

Challenging misconceptions about hospice care is central to Dr Aisha’s mission. Many still associate hospice care exclusively with the end of life, but as Dr Aisha points out, palliative care can - and should - start much earlier, often right at diagnosis. And importantly, it doesn’t have to be confined to a hospital setting.

“The main challenge with palliative care is that people don’t fully understand what it involves,” Dr Aisha says. “They often equate it with end-of-life care.” This is something ellenor is actively working to change. The team supports patients in creating advanced care plans (ACPs) that align with their personal goals, helping manage symptoms and improving their quality of life, even while they are still relatively healthy.

"Many people don’t realise that palliative care can be provided in the comfort of their own homes," Dr Aisha explains, "and at ellenor, we offer free care to people from all income backgrounds."

We are also raising awareness by collaborating with local hospitals and GPs, ensuring that patients and healthcare professionals understand the benefits of early palliative care. Through workshops and educational resources, the team is helping to change perceptions and expand access to this essential support.

With the realities of the UK’s ageing population set only to become starker in the coming years, Dr Aisha sees palliative care becoming increasingly vital – particularly with more people living longer with chronic, life-limiting conditions. By 2040, she notes, an estimated 160,000 more people in the UK will require palliative services. And ellenor is already preparing for this, not only by expanding its services but by remaining adaptable – ensuring it can continue to meet the diverse needs of the community.

In the end, what sets Dr Aisha apart is her unwavering focus on the patient. She knows that palliative care isn’t just about medical treatment; it’s about helping people live their best lives, even as they face their final days. From arranging weddings for patients to helping others fulfil their last wishes – for one patient, that was a day out with exotic animals including a tarantula and a snake – our  holistic approach ensures that, even through a thick, grey bank of suffering, chinks of joy’s light are always able to peek through. “It isn’t just one story,” Dr Aisha reflects. “There are small instances every day.”

These moments, made possible by our entire team at ellenor, are what make her work so meaningful. And are part of the reason why, for Dr Aisha, palliative care isn’t a field of sadness – it’s a deep, rich well of compassion. It’s about stepping into the lives of patients and their families during some of the most challenging times they’ll ever face – and making those times just that little bit easier to bear.

In that, Dr Aisha has found her purpose.