Note: This article originally appeared in the Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury on 16 June. To read the post on their website, please click here.
A nurse has been made sister on Weston Hospicecare’s inpatient unit after working her way up the ranks.
Claire State worked as a staff nurse on the inpatient unit (IPU) for five-and-a-half years.
She then joined the hospice’s team of community nurse specialists where she worked for 10 months.
She said: “Working within the community, you are normally the first contact someone has with the hospice, and that’s given me a unique insight into the complex needs of our patients and their loved ones within their own homes and places of care.
“I feel this will have an impact within my new role, as I now have a greater understanding of the challenges within the community and can link that up to the care we provide in our IPU.”
The IPU provides specialist, round-the-clock care to patients at the hospice, which is based in Uphill.
When the role as IPU sister came up, Claire jumped at the chance.
She will be working in conjunction with IPU manager Jill Nash to co-ordinate the care within the unit and make sure everything runs smoothly.
Claire said: “As a hospice nurse, it is vitally important to develop a good professional relationship with your patients to ensure all of their physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological needs are met.
“I have been extremely fortunate to work in various areas within the hospice, including the day hospice, and this has given me a good, all-around understanding of how each service works strategically and the impact the various services can have on the patient’s wellbeing and quality of life.
“I have a passion for teaching and am looking forward to utilising my knowledge in developing education programmes for staff within the hospice, too.
“I am excited to utilise the experience I have gained in my various roles within the hospice to work even closer with the diverse groups of community services and external agencies in maintaining the best possible care for our patients and their loved ones.”
John Bailey, director of patient services at the hospice, said: “Claire has such a wonderful, bubbly personality and ‘can do’ attitude that’s so important for working at the hospice.
“We’ve been lucky to have her as part of the team for so long, and we’re delighted that she’ll be stepping up to the challenge of being our new IPU sister.”