Dedicated to Care: 28 Years of Compassion at Teesside Hospice

Kimberley Hunt, Clinical Practice Development Nurse, has worked at Teesside Hospice since 6^th March 1995, twenty-eight Years. “I’d worked in another hospice prior to Teesside Hospice. The reason I originally wanted to come into hospice work is to deliver real quality Nursing because you have more time to give to a patient. In a hospice, you get to care for the patient holistically, they become a person not a condition."

Each year, Teesside Hospice touch the hearts of approximately 10,000 people.

“From early on in my life through my own personal experiences, I learnt immediately the difference between good nursing care and bad nursing care. From then on, I wanted to ensure people knew what it felt like to receive the good nursing care.”

With aging populations and people continuing to live longer with life-limiting illnesses, the need for hospice care is needed now more than ever. It will continue to grow with years to come too.

“In the beginning, we’d see people primarily with cancer and complex needs, but now often people have more than one condition. Now patients who attend the hospice may have other conditions such as advanced COPD or advanced Heart Failure. Our specialist care is needed to ensure they live as well as possible for as long as possible with their complex illnesses.”

As we’ve grown the last 40 years, the community are at the heart of what we do at Teesside Hospice. From Boro-born staff, to patient-led feedback, it’s important to acknowledge that we’re built by the people of Teesside, for the people of Teesside. “They’ve helped guide our direction and highlight the real need and growth of the development of our palliative care, not only for the patients, but their families too.”

Kim’s had the opportunity to nurse in the IPU & Day Hospice (ow WBC)  to a more auditing and educational role passing down years of experience to the new generation of Hospice Nurses and Staff.

“Our benchmarking and collaborations with other Tees Valley Hospice’s helps us maintain high care standards, comparable to the NHS. Despite our smaller size, it works into our favour as we provide that 1-to-1 support for our patients.”

Over the years, a lot of things have changed, but the ethos, energy and identity of Teesside remains the same as it did 40 Years Ago. Thank you for your service Kim, it wouldn’t be the same without you.