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International Paramedics Day: Celebrating our paramedics

members of the hospice paramedic team

At Hospice in the Weald, we are proud to have a team of paramedics working on our Pembury ward – as well as our Hospice Outreach Service – who visit patients at home. With the July 8th marking International Paramedics Day, we spoke with some of the team to find out more about their role in delivering excellent hospice care, highlighting the importance of this profession…

laura clinical paramedic specialist

More than medicine

“Paramedics love excitement, adventure and unpredictability. It’s still a relatively new profession, unlike nurses who have been around for hundreds of years, but we’re using the experience we gained on the road to bring our skillset into new environments,” shared Laura, Clinical Paramedic Specialist.

“With hospice care, you get one chance to get it right, and I feel like it’s something we excel at here at Hospice in the Weald. People think hospices are going to be really sad, but there are so many happy memories that we get to be involved with; it’s a very privileged position to be in,” she continued.

“I adore my role because I can look after my patients in a way that I want. It’s not always about the medicine. It’s also about being a reassuring presence for our patients and their families, that there is always someone at the end of a phone line who has skills in palliative medicine. We’re given the opportunity to get to know our patients and treat them as individuals, it just makes it so much easier to look after them and live the best lives they can for as long as they can.”

When thinking about supporting patients and loved ones at the Hospice, Laura said: “There are so many excellent memories for me as a paramedic here and it’s completely changed my mentality about how people face death. Death is still a taboo subject even though we will all die. It’s still quite a private and spiritual thing and in my role, people are inviting me to share in their last moments.

“People think hospices are bad, but there are so many funny memories. We had a patient who was the life and soul [of the party]. Alongside their family, they filled the ward with joy and laughter, turned the place into a grotto and made other patients and their families feel comfortable. We were singing Frozen at 2 o’clock in the afternoon and dressing up in sheets to perform Wuthering Heights!”

sam hospice paramedic

Diverse skills and abilities

Sam, Hospice Paramedic on our in-patient ward, echoes Laura’s thoughts, finding caring for people at the end of life a privilege. “To be able to look after people from a diverse range of backgrounds and needs is a very privileged position to be in. To give everyone the time and care they deserve and ensure their care and death is dignified, comfortable and controlled, that their psychosocial and general holistic needs of care are met.”

“Paramedics have a diverse range of skills and abilities in emergencies from maternity to death and everyone in between. It’s generally assumed paramedics work in an ambulance; however, our skills and abilities have expanded over the last five to 10 years, and that is something I’m very proud of. There are many areas in which paramedics now work, including GP surgeries, hospitals, hospices, search and rescue, coast guard, university education, and more,” Sam explained.

“My role as a Hospice Paramedic involves admitting and welcoming patients and relatives into the ward, providing care, assessing their needs and symptom/pain management, providing interventions to support symptom control and keeping patients comfortable, ensuring a dignified death whilst supporting their loved ones and friends.”

Our paramedics make a genuine difference in the lives of patients and their loved ones every day, delivering specialist care and offering a comforting presence at challenging times to people from a diverse range of backgrounds. This International Paramedics Day, join us in celebrating these incredible people, their commitment, and the impact they have on so many.

Thank you, paramedics, for all that you do!

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