Hospice Care Week: Jo’s Story

This year’s Hospice Care Week (5 – 11 October 2026) theme – Don’t leave hospice care to chance – is a reminder that while everyone deserves access to compassionate care and support right to the end, hospices are underfunded and under more pressure than ever.

Throughout the week, we’re sharing stories from across St Mary’s and introducing you to some of the people who make a difference – the people who don’t leave hospice care to chance.

Jo is one of our Nursing Associates at St Mary’s Hospice. She joined us in 2019, the year after her brother passed away at the hospice. She started as a Health Care Assistant before advancing into a registered role.

Jo’s reasons for joining St Mary’s were linked to a specific moment she recalls from when her brother was in our care. Today, she comes to work every day knowing she is making a difference to the lives of local people and their families, just as St Mary’s did for her family eight years ago.

“When my brother was ill, he never wanted to be left alone,” Jo said. “During his final days, it was so important that we could be together as a family.

“On one occasion, we were called to talk to the doctors. St Mary’s staff said they would use this time to give my brother a freshen up. The meeting was longer than anticipated, but when we returned, Sister Lauren and Health Care Assistant Lucy were sitting either side of my brother, each holding a hand.

“When I asked why they were still in the room, as I knew they would be busy, they replied: ‘We know how important it is to you that he isn’t on his own, so we’ve stayed until you came back.’ They didn’t need to be told or asked. They understood not only my brother’s wishes, but ours as a family.”

That experience has stayed with Jo. She added: “The memory is still as poignant as it was eight years ago. It’s moments like this that inspired me to join St Mary’s, and these moments that make me immensely proud to be part of such a caring and amazing team.”

Our clinical teams are at the heart of St Mary’s. Every day, they bring the same compassion, understanding and care that made such a difference to Jo and her family, helping patients and their loved ones feel supported, reassured and never alone.