An email from Tracey
Recently a friend of mine was cared for at the hospice. Mary (not her real name) died on the 11th July. I was so extremely impressed with the care she received while in the hospice that I felt an email was essential.
Mary was a retired enrolled nurse. I had the pleasure of working alongside her for a number of years. She took the greatest of pride with caring for palliative patients and set the bar very high. It was fabulous that she was afforded this care while in the hospice. I must say the nurses were nothing short of outstanding. Whilst Mary deteriorated the nurses calmly explained what was happening and normalised the experience for her friends and family. Her wish was to die with dignity and without pain. Although near the end she struggled a wee bit I must thank you all for responding to her needs in such a timely and professional manner. It made a difficult time more bearable.
I wanted to say a special thank you to Jenni on the night shift who was supportive and respectful. It was great to have you near by while Mary passed away. In fact all of the nurses involved in Mary’s care did a tremendous job which can sometimes be difficult whilst being observed by a group of ‘old’ nurses.
Thank you to Willie for getting the drug cocktail spot on. Mary had commented on how lovely you were with her friend Jan a couple of months before her admission so I know she would have been impressed that you and Eileen were caring for her too.
We will be cleaning Mary’s house in the next couple of weeks. Her wish was for her possessions to go to the Hospice shop and for some items to be donated to other agencies. If there are specific items you require for the inpatient unit can you please let me know and I will chat to her family about bringing them in.
Thanks again for everything. You are all very special people who are incredibly good at your job.
Tracey Mitchell
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