Shares Registered Nurse Rebecca Wright, ahead of International Nurses Day (12 May 2024). Rebecca joined Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice in July 2023 and is Clinical Lead of the Community Hub, which offers a range of wellbeing services to members of the local community.
A nurse for over 24 years, Rebecca explained what inspired her to join the hospice, which provides expert palliative care for people across Gloucestershire.
“The thing that really appealed to me about this role in the Community Hub was that it was very much about the quality-of-life element of palliative care and making sure that people are living well.
“We offer a range of different programmes and social sessions that people can come to, things like art and crafts, so there are opportunities for people to connect with others in similar positions to them.
“We’ve got a whole multi-disciplinary team that can offer support with things like symptom management, helping people learn how to cope with their condition, always making sure that the patient’s quality of life is at the centre of what we do.
“It’s ad hoc dependent on the individual patient – some people will come in once a month, some people will come in once a week. We’re tailoring the service to their needs.
“It’s really about giving people the tools to feel confident to be able to go and live their life outside of the hub, in their own communities, as well as forming one here. So often, we’ll be signposting patients to other things in the local community.”
Rebecca’s team includes one Registered Nurse and two complementary therapists. She explained:
“My team offer support with managing things like anxiety, fatigue and sleeping problems through complementary therapy. We have one lady that does reflexology, one who does aromatherapy and massage and we’re in the process of recruiting volunteers that have different skill sets. We’re building up the service at the moment.
“We’ve got some brilliant volunteers that offer transport to bring people in, so if we can make it happen, we will. That’s our mantra!”
Rebecca concluded: “I’ve done lots of different roles in nursing in the past, including educational roles and respiratory and district nursing. In most of those roles there’s been an element of palliative care. I’ve also had personal palliative care experiences, which have made me feel passionately about how we can do things well.
“This is the best job I’ve ever had. I know what I’m doing is really making a difference and that I’m looking at each person as an individual, not just a patient.”
For more information about Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice and the Community Hub, visit: sueryder.org/leckhampton
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About Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice:
At Sue Ryder, we can’t make life’s most difficult moments easy, but we can carry some of the load. For more than 70 years we have been a source of strength and support for anyone living with a life-limiting illness or grief.
Dying and grief are universal experiences, but too many people face them alone. Here at Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice located just outside Cheltenham we provide a safe and reassuring hand for right across Gloucestershire to reach for.
From giving care and support for someone at the end of their life to helping someone manage their grief, we know there is no one size fits all when it comes to how we cope and the help we need. We campaign for everyone who is approaching the end of their life or grieving to have access to the right support, at the right time. And we seek to break down the barriers to talking about dying and grief – so we can all be better prepared and better equipped to be there for each other.
We can make a positive difference during even the darkest of times. Whether in the last months, weeks or days of life, or living with grief, we help people live the best life they possibly can. We are there when it matters.
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