Marie Curie staff made almost 7,000 visits to terminally ill people across the north-east last year – and one nurse has spoken out about her “really rewarding” role.
Clinical nurse manager Ann-Marie Craig has been working with the end-of-life charity for more than a decade and in that time has done “a wee bit of everything”.
While the pandemic posed a “strange time for everybody,” its visiting schedule is back on track.
And now, the organisation is seeking others who may want to consider a fulfilling career in palliative care.
Rewarding role during a difficult time
Ann-Marie said the role can be incredibly rewarding – knowing you are making a difference for someone very ill, and also giving their loved ones peace of mind.
“You do get job satisfaction knowing that you’re looking after people at a really difficult time,” she explained.
“When somebody has passed away, that’s when people make contact with us.
“People regularly contact me because they want to make a donation and they remember the nurse’s name.
“They will specifically say ‘can you thank Linda’ or whoever because they’ve been there a long time, in the house for nine hours, and you get to know them as well as patients.”
She added: “You haven’t got favourites as such, but there are some people you just instantly get on with or you’ve maybe spent a lot of time with a family member explaining things to them and you’ve got that relationship.”
Search for more Marie Curie nurses in Grampian: ‘The best are those who listen’
There are currently 47 Marie Curie nurses working across Grampian, and charity bosses are on the lookout for more.
Last year they made a collective 6,910 visits throughout the region.
Ann-Marie says they’re looking for people who are “passionate about care” – particularly those who are able to support the family as well as the patient.
“A lot of our healthcare assistants come to us because they’ve got experience in a different area or different places, and found that they enjoy looking after palliative patients,” she said.
“People who are good at listening- the best are those who walk out and realise there might be family dynamics or, if people are really upset, you can support them as well as the patient.”
Care available for anyone with a terminal diagnosis
She also wanted to dispel the misconception that Marie Curie is solely for cancer patients.
Ann-Marie said: “People still think we only support people with cancer, but it could be MND, dementia, renal failure, anything at all that’s a terminal diagnosis.
“Some people come forward and say ‘I’d like a Marie Curie nurse but I haven’t got cancer’ and we have to explain that’s 0kay.
“You don’t have to have cancer to get a nurse.”
