Summary
At Martlets, our specialist teams work day and night to ensure patients and their loved ones receive the very best care and support. Here, two members of staff explain why they work for Martlets and what they enjoy about their roles
Emma, a healthcare assistant at Martlets
Emma: ‘I like to know I’m making people’s lives better’
Emma, a Martlets healthcare assistant, talks about her role on our Hospice at Home team and why she loves her job:
“I have always loved my job as a heathcare assistant. I joined the Hospice at Home team in 2021, and I am so glad I did. Being able to help people through one of the most emotional, toughest times of their lives, for me, is such an important gift. My role involves working alongside the registered nurses to provide palliative care and support for patients and their families in the community. We care for patients whose wishes are to die at home, or to be able to stay at home for as long as possible. Our aim is to keep our patients as comfortable as possible, managing their pain and other symptoms such as nausea and anxiety, but also to provide emotional support and advice to our patients and family members.
Each day can be quite different, as we often respond to the more urgent phone calls that come into our Martlets telephone hub. Quite often we can see the relief on people’s faces when we arrive. Seeing how much we are helping our patients and families very much gives me job satisfaction, and it feels so rewarding.
We have a great team, and we all work extremely well together. Some days can be mentally tough. A lot of people say to me, ‘I don’t know how you can do this job’, but I couldn’t ever imagine myself doing anything else. It helps that my colleagues are all very supportive of each other. I feel very proud to work for Martlets and be here for the local community.”
Jason, housekeeping team leader at Martlets
Jason: ‘We’re here for patients whether that’s medical care, keeping the hospice clean and safe, or just making them smile.’
Jason is housekeeping team leader at Martlets and he and his team make sure our facilities are clean and safe for patients, staff and visitors. He tells us why he enjoys working on the inpatient unit at Christmas:
“I’ve worked on Christmas Day at Martlets for the past 11 years and they’ve all been fantastic. It’s a special time and I look forward to doing it. Over the years, the staff on the inpatient ward would always dress up in costume as different characters on Christmas Day. I’m housekeeping team leader, but I also dressed up as Santa one year!
The ward staff always put up tinsel and decorations to make it feel festive for patients and visitors, and we’d go around and sing some Christmas carols and give everyone little presents. The garden would also be decorated with lots of hanging lights. It’s a lovely atmosphere and everyone does their best to lift the spirits of patients. It’s just nice to have that little bit of fun and to bring some joy to them and their loved ones.
Some people can’t work on Christmas Day because they have young families and that’s totally understandable. But not everyone has that and so its especially lovely that Martlets can feel like one big family at this special time of year. And not to forget the volunteers that come in too and offer support, and the families and local businesses that give the Martlets teams cards and gifts.”
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