We now live with the challenge of supporting our patients at home whilst trying to reduce risk of spreading the virus, and we work in different ways, whether by the telephone, or virtual consultations. We work closely with GPs and district nurses in a team approach to community palliative care.

We do still visit patients face to face at home, but we limit this to necessary visits to try to keep them and their families safe. The new way of working has its difficulties, but with SinglePoint being at the end of the phone 24/7, we are still behind our patients all the way and always at the end of the phone.  

I always wanted to be a nurse. I think it’s that cliché of the calling that people talk about. That instinct to want to be a nurse; a calling to be a nurse.  

There are loads of photos of me as a child with a little stethoscope and a pillow case with a red heart drawn on it.

How do you feel when you know what's going to happen in the future? It’s one of those things I think where everybody often says ‘if only I knew when I was dying, I could spend all my money and end up with a penny in the bank, that would be good’. But when it actually comes to reality, it’s a whole different ball game. 

It is difficult to deal with emotionally and difficult to talk about at times. But we’ve built up a friendly and comforting atmosphere with Emma already, and I always feel that Emma is there and more than willing to help if I need her or need help with anything. The things she has done with SinglePoint, district nurses, medication, helping with changing to a more local doctor; she has made everything a lot easier. 

Emma was our first connection with St Helena. She explained everything they are able to do and pointed out the various things that are available for both myself and my wife, and the family.  

She explained all of that and went into detail where it was necessary, and if I didn’t need to know then she didn’t push it.

We are going to try to get me in the hospice for a few days to help with the medication. I’m in a lot of pain in different areas for goodness knows why, but Emma thinks there is a way of perhaps improving on that, which would be really nice.

It’s good to know there are options if you want to be at home or in the hospice. 

The matron, who we met on the occasion we went to visit, is a lovely lady, very kind. She showed us all around everywhere and it just looks to be a lovely place, more like a hotel, may I say. Everybody’s kind and helpful and says ‘hello’. Nobody passes you by with their head down, which is nice. I feel quite comfortable that I could go there without a problem.

The hospice is a lovely environment and it’s probably a beautiful place to be if that’s where the end lies.