Lee Stevenson talks about Marie Curie work ahead of International Nurses Day (12 May): A Marie Curie Nurse, who began working for the charity as a healthcare assistant is now working towards becoming an Advanced Clinical Practitioner.
Lee Stevenson, 39, from Plymouth, joined the charity in 2015 having previously worked at a care home. He says the leading end of life charity has supported him to “flourish” through his developing career.
Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end of life charity and provides expert end of life care for people with any illness they are likely to die from, and support for loved ones, in the charity’s hospices and in people’s homes. It is the largest charity funder of palliative and end of life care research in the UK, and campaigns to ensure everyone has a good end of life experience.After five years as a healthcare assistant, Lee did his nurse training, then worked in a hospital for two years before returning to the charity as a Registered Nurse and was then promoted to Senior Nurse.
In March 2024, he joined the charity’s Estover project – a service which provides a senior nurse in GP practices to support people with a terminal illness. It’s as part of this role he is now a trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioner.
His role sees him carry out comprehensive geriatric assessments, assessing frailty and palliative care needs.
“I go to people’s homes, have a good chat about how their situation is day-to-day, what support they’ve got around them, what their abilities are, and then I finish those assessments with the offer and an explanation of what advanced care planning is,” said Lee, who is a father of one.
“Advanced care planning isn’t just about where you want your place of death to be or who their next of kin is and where they want to be cared for, but also the whole person, so I ask what they enjoy doing, what’s important to them, so we can make an advanced care plan more person-centred. It means we have that understanding of why they want to be at home, why they want to do all these things.”
He recalls a patient who expressed their wish to stay at home at end of life, but who fell and ended up in hospital for four weeks. Working with other teams, he was able to get her home for her final weeks – during which she connected with friends.
“She was still able to live well in the end period of her life,” said Lee.
“After she died, the family rang and thanked us and asked what they could do to tell people how valuable I was to her.”
Lee says connecting with people is what first ignited his passion for end of life care – and that part of his role is still the easiest for him.
“Being there at a difficult time and making it a bit easier for people, I suppose that’s what ignited my passion for it.
“Marie Curie has been really supportive, and if they recognise the good, they’ll help you to flourish. They’ve given me little nudges and always have time to chat with me if I need some support. I feel like that’s a great thing that other organisations could learn from.”
If you’re interested in a career with Marie Curie, visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/jobs
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About Marie Curie
- Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end of life charity.
- The charity provides expert end of life care for people with any illness they are likely to die from, and support for their family and friends, in our hospices and where they live. It is the largest charity funder of palliative and end of life care research in the UK, and campaigns to ensure everyone has a good end of life experience. Whatever the illness, we’re with you to the end.
- If you’re living with a terminal illness or have been affected by dying, death and bereavement, Marie Curie can help. Visit mariecurie.org.uk or call the free Marie Curie Support Line on 0800 090 2309.
Whatever the illness, wherever you are, Marie Curie is with you to the end.
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