“Mum’s fear eased, and although day by day she was fading, Mum could never say enough about how wonderful the staff were,”
Pravin Patel
Staff at the Marie Curie Hospice Bradford explain why they enjoy their jobs as well as revealing their hobbies and favourite songs.
I started in 2002, first as a staff nurse and then as team leader.
Being able to help patients improve their quality of life, providing symptom control, end of life care and assisting patients to return home safely to enjoy spending quality time with their family and friends.
I really enjoy working as part of a multidisciplinary team (MDT), and feel well supported in my role on the ward.
Being able to spend time with patients and families, listening to concerns and fears and alleviating some of these anxieties. Also helping patients and their families to laugh again. I think that laughing is a very important part of caring for patients and their families, carers and friends.
Spending quality time with my husband and cat and attending festivals. My favourite is a tribute festival where you can watch anyone from Mercury, (Queen Tribute band) to Oasish and Antarctic Monkeys!
I have a rather eclectic taste! I love indie – rock, especially when live and my favourite bands are The Young Knives and Redwire.
Since 2006.
My grandfather died in the Bradford Hospice. I was at university at the time of his illness studying nursing, but I took time off to be his carer.
After his death, I knew that I wanted to help others as we had been helped by the team here, so when a vacancy arose I applied and got the job.
Finding the time to talk to the patients and then been able to care for all their needs.
I like to listen to anything and everything, but I do have a favourite up and coming group. My boyfriend is a band member and they are called Redwire.
Three months.
Having taken redundancy from my job I decided doing some voluntary work would be a good use of my spare time.
The combination of a close family member dying of cancer and a friend who is very active with Marie Curie Cancer Care led me to this particular charity.I have had personal experience of our wonderful service so it is a pleasure to work to help fund it.
I also work alongside an amazing dedicated team of fundraisers, nurses and volunteers who make coming to work a privilege.
Making a contribution and giving something back. I also like that, by volunteering for Marie Curie, I can save their staffing costs and enable more money to be spent on patient care.
Art, walking, family history research and gardening. I love listening to an eclectic selection of anything from classical music to rock ballads.
I started 6 days before the new Bradford Hospice opened in August 2001.
Knowing that all the support staff that I manage, either directly or indirectly do a sterling job here in the Hospice.
By making sure, that as a team we deliver the best possible service. Whether this is by keeping the hospice spick and span, serving good quality balanced meals or just by being the smiling face that greets you at reception, we aim to make the patients time here with us as comfortable as possible.
I was very lucky to have been brought up in a home where we listened to a wide variety of music so my likes are many. My parents were teenagers of the 30s and married in the early 40s so the music that they liked to listen to I grew up with, and I love it still especially now that entertainers such as Rod Stewart and Michael Buble have started to record it. My eldest brother did his growing up in the 50s so Elvis, Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and rock ‘n’ roll were always at our house, and in the 60s the Fab Four moved in, guests of my youngest brother, and by the time the decade was over he had also invited along almost all the inhabitants of The Motor City. I added my bit with Glam Rock, the great 1970s, where I played everything from Bowie, Cassidy or Essex, to the outrageous Wizard, Slade or Alice Cooper, with a dash of ABBA thrown in for good measure.
©2012 Marie Curie Cancer Care - Registered in England and Wales with Charity Reg No. 207994 and in Scotland with Charity Reg No. SC038731