Lindsey Thornhill is one of the Hospice’s Nurse Practitioners and this is her story…

“I have worked at the Hospice for a long time but in the last 3 years I have trained and practiced as a Nurse Practitioner.   I would like to explain what my role has meant to patients and families that use our services.”

Lindsey Thornhill, Nurse Practitioner

Patient Care

I am fully involved with patient care and have the privilege of ensuring that every single patient is treated with compassion and dignity when in our care. I spend time with patients to reflect on their life and help them draw meaning from their experiences when sometimes everything seems so sad and lost.  My greatest satisfaction is helping people smile through their tears and embrace every moment of their future. I also take on many of the roles of medical staff to ensure a nursing emphasis on what is often very complex care.

Training and education

It is really important that all of our staff are trained to the highest standards so patients receive care that is safe and up to date.  I do this by mentoring them personally, ensuring they have appropriate training and mentorship from other nurses and through teaching in the classroom. I develop training programmes and roll them out to other care providers. We have taught staff in care homes and the hospital.

Management of services

I manage some of our services and many of the staff. When we opened the long term unit, it became my responsibility to ensure that the right patients were able to access these beds. This means I go into the community and the hospital to assess patients and reassure them that they will be treated with respect and care when they come to live with us.  This unit becomes their home and we feel often like we are caring for family as people stay with us for many months and potentially years.