My name is Cathie, I’m the Head of Community Services at Nottinghamshire Hospice. I have a nursing career of over 30 years, with 18 of those years focused specifically on palliative and end of life care.

Why Nottinghamshire Hospice?

Prior to joining Nottinghamshire Hospice I was working in the NHS, but when this role was advertised with Nottinghamshire Hospice, I jumped at the chance.

I was aware that it would be different to the NHS, but it was the opportunity to work within this field of nursing with other likeminded, passionate individuals that drew me in. In addition, Nottinghamshire Hospice has been running for over 40 years and was therefore established within the local community.

End of life care

To me, palliative and end of life care is so rewarding. It allows the opportunity to provide “good old-fashioned” care. We are privileged to have the time to meet all the patient’s needs, including physical, psychological, emotional and social. As a hospice nurse or healthcare assistant, we can focus on the patient as an individual and not as a disease or condition.

We can identify what is important to the patient and their loved ones, and promote quality of life, where time frames may be limited. Where a district nurse might go in and see boxes to tick (injections, medication, etc.) before rushing off to their next visit, we go in and make sure a patient is at ease with everything.

What we offer really is all-round care.

“An honour”

As someone who has sat with many dying patients, palliative and end of life care is an honour. To be a part of someone’s life at such a crucial and emotive time and to have a positive impact on others is priceless. No terms or conditions can equal that.

We’re currently recruiting for a variety of roles as part of the Hospice In Your Home service. See our vacancies page for more details.