Meet Our Staff

When I was a District Nurse, I was inevitably involved in palliative care and found it the most satisfying part of my work. I had heard many good things about St John’s and people were steering me towards working here so I took the plunge!

Palliative care suits me and my ethos – it’s about kindness and compassion which are two values that are very important to me. St John’s is the place to nurse because you can practice your values every day.

For me St John’s gets five stars as a place to be cared for and as a place to work. The professional standards run right through hospice care across all departments inside and outside the hospice. I look at the pride people take in their work: kitchen staff, housekeeping staff, the volunteers, everyone. What they give is from the heart not from a textbook. I feel supported as an employee so I am free to do what I do best – look after people. I’m blown away by how well I have been looked after as a member of staff.

It’s a beautiful environment to work in, both inside and out and everything is about the patient being the front and centre of what you do. I really like the way we work as a multi-disciplinary team. Whether you work as a nurse, doctor, therapist, social worker or support staff it’s with one aim in mind – to connect with the patient, their family and friends: it’s important that they trust me to help them do what is best.

Whether it’s been a tough day or not, I go for a walk when I leave work, before I get home. It helps separate the working day from home life so when I get home, I am relaxed and can focus on my family.

If there was one myth I could bust about St John’s is that it’s a sad place that’s all about illness because that isn’t true. I once heard a doctor say, “The illness is only part of the picture – it is the person, their family and friends, the environment and spending your time how you want to”. I remember a patient wanted to go out at night to see the stars and feel the snow on her face – so that’s what we did.