Saturday 11 February 2012

12 May 2010
I don’t think many people have a clear idea of the work a specialist community nurse in palliative care carries out in the community.
I have been a nurse for almost 20 years now and I have been working at Sue Ryder as a specialist community nurse for the past ten years. There is something extremely rewarding in knowing that I can help people have a better quality of life, I am in a position to help people ease their pain.
The people I care for are patients with a terminal condition - it may be cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neurone Disease or renal failure. They are not going to recover from it, but I can help them to lead a life free from pain, with dignity and enjoy every day of it for as long as possible.
As part of my role I also run training courses on palliative care for primary health care team and staff working at nursing care homes including sessions on pain management, communication and other subjects that can help staff liaising with terminal ill patients.