Leicester Mercury
It is a quarter of a century since the LOROS Hospice opened its doors to its first patient. Joan Stephens spoke to two LOROS nurses about their challenging work.
LOROS: For 25 years, LOROS has moved upwards and onwards, but the Hospice at Groby Road in Leicester has retained the atmosphere which makes it special, memorable, and very far from either gloomy or morbid.
That the nurses themselves are special goes without saying. That several of them have worked there since the opening and many more have been there for 10 years or more, is a tribute to the hospice, the majority of whose patients have been diagnosed with a terminal illness: it is very much more than a place where people go to die. Ward Sister Tracey Hinde was there to receive the first patient, and remembers how important he felt.
“After that, the 25-bed ward gradually filled up, and there is usually a waiting list for beds, even though the recent extension means we now have 31. I trained at the Royal Infirmary and worked in the Oncology department. Coming here seemed a natural progression. Initially when I told people where I worked, they’d never heard of the Hospice – now many more people are familiar with LOROS and what we’re about.’’
Tracey is married, and took a career break when her four children were small. “I always knew I’d come back here though. I love this kind of nursing, and enjoy the palliative care work, as it can be very rewarding. I like the fact that we are dealing with patients’ families, as well as patients themselves. My sister works in A & E – I couldn’t do that!’’
Of course, in 25 years, there have been advances in treatment for patients. Tracey confirms: “Today we undertake much more palliative care, more symptom control, and more pain management. We tend to see patients at an earlier stage in their illness, and the procedures involved demand more technical nursing skills, and that is a plus.”
“Of course there are sad times. But work in the Hospice is not depressing – on the whole we have a happy atmosphere here. We smile a lot, and there’s a good deal of humour, which helps us and the patients too.
“Today there is much more care in the community available for patients, so that they can be nursed at home. Many families prefer their loved ones to die at home, and this is often what patients want too - more support in the community means we can help them to achieve that, if it is what they want.’’
Helene Jeffery has nursed at the Hospice for almost a year. Even as a small girl she wanted to be a nurse, and although she left school to work in art and design, she still hankered after nursing.
“I nursed my mother in law for six months, and she was a LOROS patient. I’d never come across the dedication in care that I found here. That motivated me to train as a mature student. I did a placement here at the hospice four years ago and loved it. My first job was at Leicester General Hospital in the Brain Injury Unit, and I enjoyed the work there, but always knew this was where I wanted to be permanently,’’ Helene told me.
She added: “We are busier than we were four years ago, because we do more in the way of palliative care and pain management. End of life care is a specialist area, and all of us here at the hospice are trained in that.”
Clearly, the hospice is a place where people do want to work, and to an outsider that seems surprising, even though the light, bright surroundings and the tranquillity create a welcoming first impression.
Helene says: “It is partly the atmosphere. When you come through the door you sense it, though it’s difficult to put into words. Homely is the nearest I can get. The surroundings help of course, but it’s more than that - people support each other, nurses, doctors, volunteers, everyone. It’s a place where people feel safe. I think it’s significant that family members who have experienced our care for their relatives often want to come and do voluntary work for LOROS later on.’’
Both nurses point out that good staffing levels, thanks to LOROS’ untiring fundraising efforts, mean nurses can give that extra bit of care to patients, and this is what makes their job worthwhile.
“Yes we are busy, but there is always someone available just to sit and to talk to a patient, and that’s an important part of what we do. But we don’t just look after 31 patients, we look after 31 families too. Of course there is sadness when someone dies, but we can try to ensure that the family has good memories of their experience here.’’
