Heather says: ‘When I tell people I’m a hospice nurse they’ll tend to hug me and then tell me they knew somebody we cared for, or that their husband died under our care, or that they’re doing the Santa Fun Run for us. It’s always very poignant, but it also brings home how many people need us.’ 

Heather and Rachel are both extremely proud to work at Princess Alice Hospice and Rachel says: ‘One of the surprises about a hospice is that it can be such a happy place! The Hospice is loved and valued by the community, it makes me proud when I hear the feedback from the people we care for. When people cross our threshold, they often express an unexpected sense of relief, as if a weight has been lifted. Many people who we support online, especially those who are housebound, describe us as a ‘lifeline’.’ Heather feels the job is about making what is a very difficult time for people a little bit more manageable: ‘You can’t change the outcome, but you can ease it for them.’

Rachel feels she has learned so much from the people she has cared for: ‘they may have died but their legacy continues, they’ve gifted us their knowledge and insights to help other people. We always say that we don’t have real lived experience, but we can share their insights. These can be practical things – where to collect a mobility scooter at the local shopping centre – or personal, like understanding how upsetting it is for a patient or their carer to be asked offhandedly how they are by a friend and not feel they can respond beyond a simple, ‘I’m fine.’ Heather has heard this many times and often shares a suggested response from a patient who died several years ago, which continues to help others today: ‘I don’t tell them I’m fine, I tell them I’m doing OK.’ She finds that often ‘people trust us to accept their vulnerabilities, in a space where they can be with other people who they share so many unspoken truths with.’ 

Above all, Heather says that what she loves most about her role ‘is the time I can give to listen to their experiences and concerns, to be that caring presence. I wish more people understood that hospice nursing is about living rather than dying. We meet wonderful people who share their stories with us and it’s a privilege to spend time with them.’