Seeing the person in the patient

Helen felt nervous as she waited in turn to see her consultant. The nurse who called her name was kindly, but the formality of her tone did little to calm Helen’s anxiety. The consultant spoke and acted as would be expected from an experienced professional, but Helen returned to the waiting room feeling she had been processed. Although she was treated with respect and her care was dignified, those few, brief moments turned Helen from a person into a patient; she felt she had lost something of her humanity. No longer now an individual, with a unique history, ambitions and the freedom to make her own choices, Helen would now be scanned, prescribed, monitored and left to wait endlessly for appointments and results, patiently following a schedule other people decided for her.

The experience of entering the world of hospitals and healthcare as a patient can feel dehumanizing. Like Helen, people can feel they have lost something of the person they have been. They may lose confidence, feel anxious and uncertain, isolated and lonely. Even with a supportive family and close friends, being diagnosed with a life-limiting illness can leave a person feeling that no one quite gets what they are going through. And it can be hard to talk openly with family and friends. Emotions run high and people want to protect each other; no one wants to cause distress, so things remain unsaid, bottled up and left to stew.

Like Helen, many people who find themselves users of healthcare, want to be able to talk with someone who understands how becoming a patient can has affected them. They want someone who can listen and empathise with how they are in themselves, how their illness is impacting their close relationships and their levels of hopefulness, and how illness might have affected how they now see and feel about life. They want someone who can help them rediscover themselves in the turmoil of their health crisis.

That is where pastoral or spiritual care may help. Spiritual care sees the person in the patient. In hospice and palliative care, all healthcare staff are trained to see the person in the patient. But the sole responsibility of a spiritual care provider (sometimes called a chaplain) is to be available to listen and empathise and help people rediscover themselves. That may mean having a friendly chat about the day’s events or a person’s hobbies and interests; or it may mean being able to have one of those tricky conversations that speak openly about dying and what that will mean for the person and for their family. For some, it may involve finding support for a person’s religious needs; for others, it may mean helping someone to review their life story.

Seeing the person in the patient is the essence of pastoral and spiritual care, and it is the heart of hospice and palliative care. Which is why in many hospices a spiritual care provider (or chaplain) is a permanent part of the care team.

In Princess Alice Hospice, spiritual care is led by Steve Nolan. Approachable and experienced in hospice and palliative care, Steve has supported hospice patients, of whatever belief, for 20 years.

Steve can be contacted via the nursing team or via the main hospice number: 01372 468811.