For me there was a real attraction in terms of how responsive hospice care can be, not just at a patient and family level but equally we can really act rapidly to change our services to make sure we continue to meet the needs of our local population. 

At St Helena we have a whole variety of staff as you would expect, including around 150 staff in patient facing roles. About 70 of those are registered nurses in a range of nursing roles; some on the Hospice inpatient unit as you'd imagine, as I think people naturally think about when they think of a hospice, but equally, there are many nursing roles in our Hospice in the Home team.

People naturally think about the inpatient unit when they think of the Hospice. They think of the building but actually more than 90% of the reach of our services are out in the community in patients’ homes and places of residence and we support community hospitals. Our large workforce of registered nurses play a hugely important role in providing care to patients both in the inpatient unit and in their own homes. 

We have nurses in our SinglePoint service, that's our 24/7 crisis response service telephone line where the team advise over the phone and may be go out and do visits if someone is in any kind of need for an urgent visit. 

We have nurses in specialist roles managing a caseload of patients out in the community in their homes. Some of those nurses are non-medical prescribers so they are able to prescribe drugs which avoids time delays for patients at home who urgently need their symptoms controlled. 

But we have lots of other roles as well, not just nursing roles; counsellors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, and of course admin staff, our domestic team, our catering team and more, who all contribute to the experience of being cared for by St Helena.

The other service that people don't naturally think about is our bereavement service. The service is open to all, so you don't have to have had a loved one who was cared for by St Helena to be able to access our bereavement service.

International Nurses Day is important to me personally as a nurse; I've been a nurse for over 30 years, it's part of my identity. And at St Helena we're celebrating our nursing workforce and those who work alongside them in all the other roles that we have in the organization. 

It’s an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the really valuable work that our nursing team does every single day of the year to support the local population here in north east Essex. 

Some of our nurses share why they love being a hospice nurse...

I love this job as I feel I can hopefully make a real difference to people. I try to offer support to improve the quality of life for both themselves and their families. It is the little things that really count and it is important to help make positive memories.

Di Turner, clinical nurse specialist, hospice in the home

As a palliative and end of life care nurse, I always say it’s a privilege. Supporting patients and families through their journey with incurable illness. The ups and downs, the tears and laughter, feeling that empathy and connection, ensuring my patients have the best care. Making that little bit of difference goes a long way, making me so proud to be a nurse.

Claire Burton, hospice staff nurse

I’ve been a nurse for over 10 years and I still love it. Realistically, not every shift is perfect but there are always positives to be found.  It is a privilege and an honour to care for patients and families during the last months/weeks/days of their lives.  I view us as ‘midwives of the soul’ and value the time and support we can give our patients on their final journey.

Niamh Eve, hospice matron

When the patient wakes at 2am asking if it’s time for 'his girls' to come. After finishing giving personal care and the patient says they feel better. When families greet you and say I'm so glad you’re here. Our patients and families are so grateful at what we do for them all. I feel very honoured to be welcomed into patient's home, when they are going through such a sad time. To be able to make some smile, I know I have done a good job.

Caroline Money, healthcare assistant, virtual ward

It's making that impact for people. It's the last time you get to care for that person, and I think it's a really important part of someone’s life and you can't mess it up. It needs to be done right and working in palliative care, I think you can really make that kind of connection with patients and their families, and just keep people comfortable and keep people where they want to be.

Ross Chirgwin, clinical nurse specialist, SinglePoint

Everyone that works here is kind, caring and compassionate. People are made to feel very welcome. Working at the hospice can be challenging as people are at the end of their life in some cases but it's an incredibly rewarding job too. You need to be caring and compassionate, as well as a people person. You need to be dedicated and hardworking, plus have advanced communication skills to be able to speak with patients and their families at a difficult and stressful times in their lives.

Nicola Chadwick, clinical support worker

I love my job I really do. It’s ever so rewarding. The nurses I work with, they are all so selfless and they never want to feel there is nothing more they could have done, they always want to feel they have done as much as possible for that person. The team we have are so supportive, so caring, they all really want to do right by that patient and do the best they can and we get a lot of joy about being able to make someone’s last days, weeks, as comfortable as possible.

Jess Hepton, senior staff nurse, SinglePoint

Being a nurse in the inpatient unit is by far a privileged role to have. Not only am I able to care for patients with an advanced life limiting illness, I get the opportunity to listen to and be with patients, and hear their stories; stories not only about their illnesses and how they have coped, but stories of their lives. We can learn so much. Diversity is the key word here. It is a privilege and fascinating to learn about people and professionals from all over the world.

Rick Armstrong, hospice staff nurse

It’s just such a great role to have because you get to know people and they trust you. I might go to somebody and they are absolutely in dire straits and they don’t know what to do with themselves. I manage to sort that out and they have a lot better quality of life for it, then I might ring them a few days later and they’re on top of the world. That’s really satisfying.

Emma Jackson, clinical nurse specialist