Karen, a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Birmingham Hospice, talks about the comfort and dignity our teams provide for every patient, and their family.
Every day, we meet people at a time when life feels uncertain and overwhelming. For many, a referral to our team comes with fear of the unknown, or fear of what lies ahead for their loved ones. Our role is to gently
ease those fears, to be a steady presence when everything else feels unsteady.
As Clinical Nurse Specialists, we don’t just manage symptoms or coordinate care – we listen. We sit at kitchen tables, hold hands, share tears and often laughter too. We take the time to understand what truly matters to each person – their wishes, their worries, and their hopes in order to shape our care around that.
Being able to support someone to stay in the place they feel safest, often their own home, is incredibly important. For many families, knowing they are not alone makes all the difference. We are there to answer questions at any hour, to explain what’s happening, and to reassure them that what they’re feeling is normal.
What stays with me most are the relationships we build with patients and their families or loved ones, who open up to us during some of the most difficult times of their lives – it is a privilege and one I never take lightly.
To know that our care can bring comfort, dignity and peace not just to the person we are caring for, but to everyone who loves them, is why we do what we do. And it’s why Birmingham Hospice will always be there, guiding people through some of life’s hardest moments with compassion and kindness.
