Hi everyone,
As you all know, we often receive wonderful feedback and compliments from the family and friends of our patients, quite often after their loved one has died. Our patients themselves often tell us how much the hospice and its staff mean to them too, and occasionally they express their feelings in writing to us. We tend to share these with our staff and volunteers in certain meetings and group settings, and going forward we will be storing these on our staff intranet for all staff to see, but I do not usually circulate these via email. This morning though, I would like to share with you the words of Pete who is currently staying on our In-Patient Unit, with his kind permission. Pete has written…
“DEAR ALL STAFF
Drs, NURSES, CLEANERS, COOKS, CHAPLAIN, VOLUNTEERS, AND ALL STAFF INVOLVED IN MY CARE.
Just wanted you to know
When I was at home I was anxious, worried about myself and everyone
Now in the hospice I am at peace no longer worried or anxious but at peace
I am grateful for all the care and the loving caring given me
Love and Laughter is the best treatment ever for MND
Much love Pete xx”
Pete’s words mean so much, for many reasons. First and foremost, they celebrate the amazing care provided on our In-Patient Unit by our wonderful IPU team of nurses, doctors, support staff and volunteers. It has been a difficult time for you and we are so incredibly proud of you and the work that you do – day in, day out and of course night in, night out as well.
I think it’s wonderful that Pete has taken the time to recognise our cleaners and our cooks, the housekeeping and kitchen teams, who are such an intrinsic part of our overall clinical team and without whom we couldn’t function. Please know that you are never overlooked or taken for granted, not by our patients nor by the rest of us.
Pete has singled out our Chaplain and this reminds us of the holistic wraparound care we offer to our patients and their loved ones, including spiritual support, thanks to our family support team, and he has listed our Volunteers too, recognising the key role they play. The fact he has taken the trouble to include everyone at a time when he is very unwell indeed is incredibly generous of spirit, moving and humbling.
Lastly, Pete refers to “and all staff…” and that means YOU. So from me as well, thank you everyone for being part of our wonderful hospice team. I hope this reminds you of the difference you are bringing to the lives of others.