Meet Kirsty: a 30-year-old student who recently completed a six-week placement with the hospice charity’s Wellbeing team as part of her third-year physiotherapy apprenticeship at Coventry University. Her time at ellenor – an organisation providing care and support for patients with life-limiting conditions in North Kent and Bexley – was an integral part of her studies. Kirsty worked closely with patients empowering them to regain independence and improve their quality of life. 

The exposure, Kirsty explains, students have their placements organised by the university. This year, however, an administrative quirk meant that Kirsty got to choose her own placements – and her hovering finger soon settled on ellenor’s name.

“I felt that a hospice placement would be a brilliant choice,” Kirsty explains, “mainly because it’s an environment I wouldn’t have got to experience in any other rotations.”

Her experience at ellenor was eye opening and rewarding, offering a unique perspective on healthcare outside traditional clinical settings. Despite initial apprehensions, Kirsty found unwavering support from the Wellbeing team, fostering a nurturing and learning environment.

And it wasn’t long before that environment would captivate her – and change her view of patient care.

“ellenor cultivates a positive environment, by placing emphasis on an individual, and their wishes. Whether it’s helping someone into a chair, or out into the garden, the focus is always on enhancing their quality of life. What sets ellenor apart is holistic approach, prioritising the person over their medical condition – their psychological, social, and emotional needs alongside clinical care. It’s looking at the patient as a person, at the people in their life – and how we can support them, too. At ellenor, there are so many extra services – including family support, complementary therapies, counselling, and peer support groups like the Bereavement Cuppa and Carer’s Cuppa– available to patients. When you come here, you have no idea how vast the breadth of services available to the patient is".

Six weeks isn’t a long time to make an impact, of course – but try telling that to Kirsty.

Since she’s been at ellenor, Kirsty has formed close connections with her colleagues (senior physiotherapist Rosie Snow, on a six-week rotation from Darent Valley Hospital, in particular). But, more importantly, she’s had a profound impact on her patients.

Describing one, Kirsty brings up an elderly end-of-life ellenor patient being cared from his home in the local community. The man, a long-term leg amputee after a severe case of gangrene in the 1980s, now had cancer. It was causing him to deteriorate physically – and the prosthetic limb no longer fit. Because of this, the man was unable to navigate the steps from his home to his back garden, a place he’d always loved to pass the time among sunshine and nature.

“He’d lost a lot of muscle,” Kirsty explains, “so we worked closely with him to build up the strength in his legs and arms. We then referred him to the dietician, to help him gain weight through supplement drinks, and the limb centre, who were able to refit the prosthetic. We also fitted a grab rail to the steps, and practised walking them with him. By doing all this – and with the help of Claire Dudbridge, ellenor’s occupational therapist – we got him back into his garden; he goes there frequently now. It’s about his independence – giving him that hope to get outside and fulfil his wishes. To many of us, three steps might be nothing. But for that man, it was a massive barrier between him and the ability to do what he loves. It was so important for me to help him overcome that barrier before he passes away. It’s part of what Kirsty enjoys most about physiotherapy. I love working with lots of different characters, different patients: people from all backgrounds and walks of life. It’s about rewarding them, enabling them – showing them what they’re capable of, and giving them that quality of life.”

So, how has Kirsty found her ellenor experience so far?

“It can be scary going into a completely new and different environment, but the Wellbeing team has always been so supportive, friendly, and helpful. As for Rosie, I can talk to her about anything, and she’s taught me so much. But even when she’s not here, I know I can go to any one of the staff here – even Andy [Lowden, Operational Wellbeing Lead] – and that they’ll take me under their wing.”

As for her on-the-job education, Kirsty has been straight into the thick of it. She’s shadowed ellenor’s senior complementary therapist Sally Baker and spent time learning from family support workers Carla Ambrose and Terri May. Kirsty has also hosted seated exercise classes for ellenor patients: including one in which spontaneous cake and singing sprang up for an attendee’s birthday.

“ellenor is such a family-friendly environment – not clinical in any sense. It’s brilliant, really.Kirsty has two more placements to go, and will be fully qualified in a year. After that…who knows? I love the idea of a career in hospice or community care; my time here at ellenor has been such an eye-opener; and just so enjoyable, really!”

It’s also an experience she recommends to anyone who has the opportunity to explore a placement as part of a degree in a clinical field.

“A placement here at ellenor is something everyone should try. It is challenging, and you have to think outside of the box in terms of your treatments, but that’s really important – it makes you a more well-rounded healthcare professional. There’s so much variety (the community, the clinical) and so many services that I’d never have known about, let alone been able to get involved with, otherwise.It’s amazing, too, to see how empowered these patients are; how positive they are, even if they may be nearing the end of their life. To have been able to play a role in that, at ellenor – even for just a few weeks – is priceless.”

We’re always looking for motivated, empathetic staff to join the team here at ellenor. Browse our current vacancies or send an email to HR@ellenor.org to express your interest in working with us. We can’t wait to meet you.