On 14 July 2005, Dame Cicely Saunders died at St Christopher’s, the hospice that she founded. To mark twenty years since her death, St Christopher’s spoke to nine current members of St Christopher’s staff and asked them to share their memories of the woman who changed the field of hospice care.
“She knew everybody by their first name”
Bill Punyer, Senior Maintenance Technician at St Christopher’s, was only a child when his father was part of the construction team. Bill never dreamed of working at the hospice but has now been here for 46 years and he still remembers Dame Cicely with a lot of tenderness. “She knew everybody by their first name, she’d know everything about your family; she really paid attention”.
When at work, she would always be Dr Saunders and many mentioned she was both formidable and deeply caring. Described as having a very strong personality and being very clear about what she wanted, Dame Cicely was known for also being very gracious in her demeanour. “I felt sort of overawed and a little bit nervous being next to her, but she was somebody who I really looked up to”, said Anna Butt, recently retired Clinical Nurse Specialist.
Dame Cicely’s trailblazing approach engaged and inspired people around her.
Anne Nash, Nurse Consultant, stated that “you couldn’t doubt that when you met her that there was something special about her”. “She was really good at gathering people around her who were incredibly clever, different, and had a different way of thinking about the future”, shared Anna Butt.
As a medical doctor, Dr Saunders was always focused on the individual.
“Her ethos became the core of my thinking”
Anne Nash witnessed her doing holistic assessments first hand, “which was her vision for palliative care and she really practised it and advocated others to do”. Rose Remedios, Staff Nurse on the inpatient unit added Cicely “would include family, any family members. She would sit by the bed and talk to the patients in their language, in a simple and not patronising way; she would have a conversation with them at their level”.
Cicely profoundly impacted the staff who worked with her, shaping their approach to care and instilling a deep sense of value. Gill Early, currently Senior Associate in Education but previously a nurse at the hospice, said Dr Saunders “was a real educationalist, teaching all the time”. Her ethos became “the core of my thinking” for Clare Hope, demonstrating a lasting influence on professional practice. The staff felt their opinions were genuinely sought and valued, as Anna recalled, “She asked our opinion as nurses and wanted to know what we thought should be done”.
Working alongside her also meant being part of a larger, collective experience. Rev. Dr. Andrew Goodhead, Lead Chaplain at St Christopher’s, noted that “she was very much about it being everybody’s experience and her experience was just part of that whole”. This inclusivity, where her journey was interwoven with theirs, made staff feel part of the greater movement. According to Andrew, her ability to “win people over and draw them in and sell them the vision” meant that her influence extended beyond direct instruction. This strong, inspiring presence meant that staff felt motivated to continue her evolving legacy.
“Have I done enough?”
Towards the end of her life, Dame Cicely, like her husband Marian Bohusz-Szyszko ten years previously, was admitted to the hospice that she founded. Despite her status, Dame Cicely desired to be treated like any other patient.
Julie O’Neill, Ward Manager, recounted how she repeatedly told her, “I’m just like any other patient”, although Julie said she was “realistic enough to know that that that could never be, due to who she was and her immense legacy”. While an inpatient, Dame Cicley would often test her doctors by questioning them about her medication, “knowing full well what she was on,” a challenge Julie affectionately described as being a common interaction between the two of them as well.
Dame Cicely had a strong Christian faith. Andrew recalls her frequently asking, “have I done enough?” as the end of her long life approached. “She was always reflecting and questioning her actions, regrets and other aspects”, shared Julie, “which I think is very powerful because most people go through that and it’s easy to think that someone like her would not”.
“We need to go back and listen to what she said because it’s all relevant now”
Dame Cicely’s impact has spread all over the globe, making her known as the founder of the modern hospice movement.
“She started a movement around enabling people to start looking into and talking about death and dying” said Anne Nash, “but she was also focused on making it professional, making it about research-based evidence and reflection, about working together”.
Jan Noble, Director of Quality and Innovation, says that Dame Cicely’s legacy sits on the development of the concept of holistic care and the whole person approach, “the concept of total pain, recognising spiritual needs, social needs, emotional needs as well as the physical needs”. She continued to say that “linked to all of that is what matters to people and seeing the individual. She saw no barriers and made sure people got the care and support they needed whatever their background”.
Dame Cicely recognised the need of society to talk about death and dying and changed end of life care very profoundly, and her focus on the person – not the patient – has remained as a core value in Palliative and Hospice Care. “We need to go back and listen to what she said because it’s all relevant now”, Gill said.
Julie added “She would have something to say about how we do things now, of course she would, but I think she would be very proud for all we continue to achieve. Doctor Saunders didn’t leave things as they were. She moved things forward and actually we’re continuing her legacy, keeping in mind the foundations but always evolving”.
Dame Cicely Saunders 22 June 1918 – 14 July 2005
Thank you to Anna Butt, Anne Nash, Bill Punyer, Clare Hope, Gill Early, Jan Noble, Julie O’Neill, Rose Remedios and Tracy Ryan for sharing their memories of Dame Cicely.
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This article is republished here, from the St Christopher’s Hospice website, with permission.
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