Yvonne joined St Barnabas quite by chance after spotting a job advert for a Housekeeper at the Hospice. She didn’t know a lot about the Hospice back then in 1986 but liked the thought of helping patients.
Just three months later, Yvonne was helping patients far more than she expected! Every day she’d see what the nurses were doing and knew she’d enjoy being more involved with patients. Serendipity stepped in and while she was cleaning a bath, the Matron walked by and Yvonne mentioned that she’d love to be a Healthcare Support Worker. They had a brief chat and the next thing she knew she’d been given a uniform! Yvonne dedicated the next 20 years to caring for patients and their families at the Inpatient Unit in Lincoln.
Yvonne then spent a few years behind the scenes helping the clinical team with office-based work before returning to her roots and the patients she was missing. She picked up where she left off in the Inpatient Unit before moving into the community team and supporting patients in their homes. Despite sometimes ending up in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere, Yvonne loved every minute of it!
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Yvonne was given the opportunity to spend a day a week supporting the clinical team with administrational tasks at the Inpatient Unit while continuing to care for patients in the community. It was the best of both worlds for Yvonne, and she jumped at the chance.
Lockdown brought another change and Yvonne took up the Ward Clerk role she’s in today. Making sure the clinical team in the community had PPE was a big part of the job when Covid was at its worst. Thankfully, that is now a thing of the past and Yvonne can concentrate on making sure things run smoothly behind the scenes and for patients and visitors.
Despite working across various parts of the Hospice, Yvonne’s heart is in the Inpatient Unit. But when she retires, she thinks volunteering in the book shop might be quite interesting. For our patients and their families, we’re hoping that’s not for a long time yet!
In her own words…
“My father spent two weeks in the Hospice before he died, and the support we received was amazing. Seeing the Inpatient Unit from the other side was a real eye-opener. The team gets a lot of praise, but I’m not sure any of us really realise the true value of the care we give, because it’s just what we do.”
To see all 40 Faces and their stories, please visit: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/40faces