Hospice Care Week 2023: Our workforce and the meaning of Hospice Care

Going the extra mile

Meet Kerry

“I’m Head of In-Patient Care here at Hospice in the Weald. So, essentially, my job is to oversee both sites; that’s Cottage Hospice with our 10 beds, and here at the In-Patient Ward at Pembury with our 15 beds. It’s my job to work out where patients need to be and where we offer the beds for them to come in. I’m a nurse by background and I’ve been here at the Hospice for almost ten years!

“So for me, Hospice Care is all about what’s important to the patient. We find out the things that really make a difference for them and we then try and tailor their care to support those needs. We always go the extra mile to make sure patients get exactly what they need and what they want at the right time.”

A sense of love, kindness and life

Meet Claire

“I’m a Chaplain here at the Hospice and have a team of five volunteers who work alongside me. We offer pastoral, spiritual, and religious care to people with faith or no faith, and are here to listen. We visit patients on the ward, in Living Well and connect with people out in the community.

“Hospice care for me is that wrap-around care. People often say they have not been into a hospice before and have been a little bit scared about the idea of coming. But, when they arrive, they are just amazed by the sense of love, kindness, and life here. I certainly get a buzz from being here each day.

“So, I guess it’s about seeing the person in the patient; they’re not just a person with a clinical condition, but a whole person with passions, interests, joys, and challenges. That’s what makes each of us tick, it’s what makes us human. So, I really enjoy being here, helping people find hope and bringing light into dark places.”