She said: “It’s the best job in the world and I wouldn’t do anything else. Feeling passionate about a job, really makes you want to do it.”
From an early age Steph knew she wanted to care for people who were unwell and her role with hospice charity ellenor’s Adult at Home team certainly ticks all the right boxes. She had always been fascinated by how the body works. She admits some might consider this morbid, but for Steph it has led to a fulfilling career where she helps people find peace and joy even in the darkest of times.
Her dedication to caring for others led her to volunteer at ellenor, become a healthcare assistant, then train to become a fully-fledged Senior staff nurse,
The 39-year-old said: “I think it’s a privilege to be there for the patients and families at the end of someone’s life, at a time which is one of the hardest people will go through. I like to make a difference, to make sure someone has a good death. When someone dies, I understand that It’s not my grief. It’s a time for the families to grieve and we must support them, but of course we are also human. Sometimes it does get to me but if we have had a particularly hard day, we hold a debrief and we can talk about it as a team.
“I have always been interested in the work of hospitals and hospices. When I used to visit people in hospital when I was young, I was quite nosey and wanted to know what was wrong. I have a really strong passion for looking after people whose lives are limited, helping them through their treatment or when they have stopped their treatment and are on their way towards the end of their life.”
The Adult at Home team help patients who have illnesses such as heart failure, COPD, frailty or cancer. it is made up of three senior staff nurses, several clinical nurse specialists and health care assistants, who visit patients and their families regularly in their own homes.
A lot of patients choose to stay in familiar surroundings, although the hospice ward is also available to them later in their journey or for respite. The home care team specialises in symptom management, advance care planning, emotional and crisis support and end of life care.
Steph said: “A hospital is there for treating patients and helping them get better whereas a hospice is more holistic. It is not just about the physical, it’s about the emotional, social and financial side of things. We look at the whole person and give specialist care which hospitals do not have the capacity to deliver.
“A lot of our patients would prefer to die at home, and we try to avoid hospital or hospice admissions and to keep them where they have chosen to be. We also support the families who are looking after them 24 hours a day.
“I carry out first assessments and check in on patients to make sure their symptoms are under control. We write to the patient’s GP asking them to prescribe medication for pain relief or to control sickness. We also work very closely with community nurses, dieticians, speech and language therapists, and occupational and physio therapists.”
