I am a Deputy Nurse Manager and I have worked in St Gemma’s community nursing team for 19 years. Although our In-Patient Unit and Out-Patient services are based at the Hospice itself, the vast majority of St Gemma’s patients are cared for in the community by myself and the community nursing and medical team. We talk about a ‘Hospice without walls’ – we bring many of the Hospice services to you.
I started as a Community Nurse Specialist at St Gemma’s having worked as a staff nurse on a medical unit, in paediatrics and various other wards and as an in-patient sister in another hospice, which all gave me the rounded skillset I need to work in a palliative care community team. I am a line manager, but I still have a small caseload of patients. My main role is to make sure that our team have the right support; training and expertise that they need to provide the best possible care.
A nurse from our team is often the first person a family meets from St Gemma’s when their loved one becomes ill. So as well as being a healthcare professional, each member of our community team is an ambassador for St Gemma’s. We visit people in all sorts of places and situations – we are not there to judge, we are just there to care. Everyone is a person first and a patient second.
Depending on the extent of their illness, a patient and their family might see their nurse for a few days, several weeks, or many months. We can’t take all the sadness away from a situation but we can use our skills and experience to help. There’s always something you can do even if someone is approaching the end of their life, it’s the ‘living’ that’s important. We may need to do complex symptom management or advise about difficult decision-making and arrange for appropriate support from the Neighbourhood teams to help administer pain relief or acquire equipment to help move or care for a patient – and we do it with warmth and compassion at a time that is right for that individual person. That’s what makes the difference. We really do care.
Our nurses are skilled at ‘tuning in’ to each patient to find out where they are in their illness. It is different working in people’s homes – we try to develop trust on a one to one basis so people can be themselves and let their emotions out more easily. From emotional support to complex symptom management, we will share the journey with them.
One of the best things in my job is meeting such brilliant people and see the amazing things they do to support someone they love or care for. It’s humbling to see just how much people do for their loved ones in really difficult and often distressing situations. Despite the troubled world we live in every day, I am privileged to see things that make me think, ‘As a human race, we’re not so bad!’ It’s a joy to walk into a house where you can sense the love and the warmth. You develop bonds with people. It always gives me such satisfaction to be able to support people in a way that’s right for them at such a critical time.
Emma and her mum Jane work in our Exec Admin team. They both come from an education background and after their beloved grandma and mum died at the Hospice in 2016 they both found their way to a job at St Gemma’s. This is their story.
Emma Farrer – AUPC Administrator
“My grandma was cared for in the Hospice in 2016 and that was the biggest reason I wanted to move to St Gemma’s.
She’d been treated for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in hospital for months but she didn’t like the sterile environment and was really unhappy there. So when we found out she could move to St Gemma’s we were so grateful.
The hospital staff cared for her medically but the St Gemma’s team offered so much more than that. Grandma had always been such a foodie but had really lost her appetite and could only really manage to drink protein shakes. After chatting with her one day about all the food she loved, she told me she really fancied a little plate of grapes and cheese. I went to ask in the Bistro and within a couple of minutes a plate was delivered to her room. It wasn’t a case of ticking a box to say she’d eaten that day, the staff really listened and gave her what she wanted. It really moved me and is something I’ll always remember.
Ever since then I frequently checked the St Gemma’s website for job vacancies – I knew I wanted to work in such a special place.
I come from an education background, having worked in schools for several years, so when an opportunity came up in 2021 to provide admin support to the Academic Unit of Palliative Care, I applied. I’m delighted to be able to give back to the Hospice by using my skills and experience in education.
In my day-to-day role, I provide administrative support to the AUPC and work closely with the Head of Education with her diary management, scheduling meetings and minute taking, as well as providing admin support to other colleagues within the AUPC. I am the main point of call for all external training; ensuring that delegates are given the training information, co-ordinate payment, provide IT support and collate and distribute certificates. I also co-ordinate the 6 monthly and yearly reports for the AUPC, which showcases the activity within the department and is distributed to professionals within the organisation and across the city.
I love my role and the culture at St Gemma’s. It sounds strange to say but it’s a very happy place to work.”
Jane Emmett, Senior Medical Team Administrator
“I first came to St Gemma’s when I was at primary school for a celebration event of some kind and I still remember the warm and friendly welcome we all received.
Years later, I experienced the amazing support first-hand when my mum came into the Hospice in 2016. My mum was so much more comfortable and at peace here and I can’t thank the team enough for the care they gave her.
Before coming to work here, I also joined the St Gemma’s choir. My husband was singing as part of the 40 years celebration event at Leeds Town Hall and I joined the choir soon after this. The Town Hall event was a very special evening and I love coming to Tuesday night choir practices and singing at St Gemma’s events; the Christmas Light Up a Life is a particular favourite.
It’s also interesting to think of other connections I have had to St Gemma’s before coming to work here; I used to work in a school that had St Gemma’s as one their House Charities and I came here from Leeds Trinity University – the same order of nuns that established St Gemma’s also helped to develop a teacher training programme at Trinity and All Saints College (TASC) which then became Leeds Trinity University.
Emma used to talk about how great it was to work at St Gemma’s so when I was looking to move from a full-time position to a part time role, I was delighted to apply for a job here and Emma was right about it being a fantastic place to work.
The culture of St Gemma’s is special. Having education, health, retail and charity all rolled into one is so unique. Most organisations are just defined by one thing but there are so many people from different backgrounds with different skills that it makes it a really diverse place to work.
My role is to support the Chief Medical Officer as well as providing admin support to different meetings, inducting new doctors and managing rotas and medical availability calendars.
It’s hands down the best job I’ve ever had and I feel very blessed to be able to work here. It really is a joy to work in such a positive, caring and flexible environment with such a fabulous group of people. This is definitely where I want to be.”
Flew away 06.10.22
It has been a year since we lost you and your truly remarkable life force to the very end.
The longest year , not a day goes by that we don’t think about you, a huge hole remains in our lives.
All we can do is carry on with you forever in our hearts, knowing you are keeping an eye on us, our Angel we miss and love you.
All Our Love Always
Bruno, Paul, Janine and Lisa xxxx
Lawcris Panel Products have been supporting us for 16 years and we are incredibly grateful to them. Having just renewed their Business 365 membership, we thought it would be good to hear about the reasons why St Gemma’s Hospice is important to them.
You have supported St Gemma’s Hospice for 16 years, we are extremely grateful to you for all of your support. Can you talk about why supporting the Hospice is so important to you as a business?
Supporting St Gemma’s gives us great pride. We love getting behind events such as the Winter Ball, golf days, Santa Dash, and many more. By supporting these events, our staff learn more about the importance of our business’ social responsibility. We sadly lost a dedicated member of staff back in 2007. He spent his final days being cared for in St Gemma’s and the team were truly wonderful, so sponsoring this incredible hospice really does have great significance to us.
How does it support staff team building?
Fundraising unites our employees in a common cause. Collaborative efforts in planning and executing activities gives us all a shared sense of purpose, strengthening relationships, building trust and enhancing morale. We find that after events such as our bake sales and the more physical ones, like the Total Warrior style events, our staff are buzzing to share their experience with other members of their team, contributing to a more cohesive and motivated atmosphere.
What has been your favourite fundraising event to take part in?
Total Warrior has to be the absolute favourite! Our team was made up of people from all different departments; transport, warehouse, accounts, sales and marketing, so it brought everyone together. The team really bonded during the experience, pulling each other through the mud and over the obstacles.
We trained hard and it paid off – we smashed the 12km course with 25 obstacles along the way in 2 hours 15 minutes! Not only did we burn 1050 calories each….more importantly, we raised an incredible £5,434 for St Gemma’s! We honestly couldn’t be prouder of our staff for spending their time training and raising money.
Have you got any plans for your fundraising next year?
One of the main events that is now well established in our calendar is the annual epic charity football match fundraiser. We take this one very seriously, (it’s football after all!) and 2024 will be our 4th match. It is a fantastic day packed full of footy and family fun, where all money raised goes to SGH. We are also hoping to do a sky dive along with another major physical challenge of some sort! We have our traditional Christmas fundraisers such as raffles and Christmas jumper day which everyone loves. We really get into the spirit of things over here!
Interested in fundraising for the Hospice? Take a look around our website at https://www.st-gemma.co.uk/corporate-support to find out more about all the different ways you and your company can get involved and support St Gemma’s Hospice.