“WE only get one chance to get it right…you need to do the best for them” is the mantra Lauren McKenny, a sister at St Mary’s Hospice, lives by.
And for the hundreds of families who’ve been fortunate to have Lauren take care of a loved one in their final days, her approach and dedication in a near decade of service, will not have gone unnoticed.
Lauren joined St Mary’s in April 2013. Since then, she’s progressed her career and become a Sister, which means she has a managerial role as well as a caring one.
Lauren explains: “I love working in end-of-life care. You only get one chance to get it right, it’s a very special time for somebody and you need to do the best for them.”
She works across both the Hospice at Home and In-Patient Unit. Lauren said: “With Hospice at Home that means going into the community, visiting patients at their homes, giving support to them and their families. It is end of life care and it’s also personal care. There is much more to it than the visit itself, we work with other healthcare professionals and attend weekly meetings to ensure we are working together, and also provide bereavement support to families.
“On the unit we care directly for patients, which include medication rounds, providing personal care and day‐to‐day family support. We do more than just end of life care, and also look at symptom control so that patients are as comfortable as possible.
“Overall, the thing I love most is that I’m part of a team which is passionate about giving holistic and person‐centred care at end of life.”
The hospice only receives around a fifth of the funding it needs from Government, with the rest — £2.6m each year — being raised by donations from individuals and businesses in the local area.
But for patients, the Hospice ensures everything is free at the point of need, and that nothing is too much trouble.
Lauren added: “As I’ve said we only get one chance to get it right in end‐of‐life care. That means that each moment, each interaction with every patient and every family member counts. We have to make sure we get it right for that person. What is right for one person may not be for somebody else, so there is skill in understanding that and finding what’s right in any specific circumstances. I’m really proud that we are able to do that.”
One of the skills Lauren has built up over the years is resilience. She explains: “People may think doing our job is always sadness and crying, but it really isn’t. There is so much joy and happiness at the hospice and when we go out to see people, of course they are sad and maybe facing difficult times but we’re there to make those times a little easier for people and in the worst times we’re able to support them in their grief. That’s really powerful.
“I have had so many favourite moments over the years. We’re very lucky that every day there is something to laugh and smile about. I love it when you can make a difference to a patient. And it’s the simple things: like playing someone’s favourite music and having a chair or bed dance with them.
“I hope I make a difference to patients and their families, that’s why I come to work every day to make a difference. Whether it’s for patients or my colleagues. But at the end of the day, it isn’t me that makes the difference it’s all of us, we’re a team and we couldn’t do what we do without each other.”
Lauren is one of the nurses you can sponsor if you sign up to sponsor a nurse, the Hospice’s regular giving campaign.
Click here to sign up nowsign up now.