A nurse who has worked for the NHS since she was 17 says her eyes have been opened to the specialist palliative and end of life care provided by Birmingham Hospice.
Fiona Place qualified as a nurse in 1992 and has worked at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital since 2002, but the 55-year-old’s life changed forever when she was told by doctors she had cancer and required palliative care.
She had to make the difficult decision to give up nursing but with support from Birmingham Hospice she is now receiving the specialist care she needs.
“I went to see the oncologist and was told by doctors that there was nothing else they could do and they referred me to Birmingham Hospice,” said Fiona.
“I’ve got great support from family and friends but my diagnosis was definitely a shock to the system. I had to retire with ill health because of the pain caused by the tumour.”
Fiona was initially supported by Clinical Nurse Specialists from our Community Team, who visited her at home to provide expert help and advice.
When she became too unwell to stay at home, Fiona spent several weeks in hospital but then came to the Inpatient Unit (IPU) at our Erdington site, where she has received specialist pain relief to make her more comfortable.
“It’s been over six weeks since I have been home but being in the hospice was a good idea because the pain relief has really helped,” she added.
While on IPU, Fiona has also been helped by physiotherapists from the hospice’s Therapies Team to begin to rebuild her strength after a lengthy period of being in bed.
She has been impressed by the compassion she has received from every team at our hospice. One highlight is the bespoke meals made by the Catering Team on request such as chicken fricassee.
“The hospice is a very calming environment; everyone’s full of empathy with a smile on their face and you can have some banter. Everyone’s so lovely here and they have time to talk to you.
“Everyone treats the patients with the same respect and care. When one of the housekeepers comes in, smiles and says hello it makes a difference.”
“You always think cancer will never happen to you, but it has and I have to deal with it. Birmingham Hospice helps you to come to terms with it and to cope with it as best you can.
“I’ve worked for the NHS since I was 17 but it’s widened my eyes to what is available for people.”
