A Day in the day in the life of Dr Becky at Dove House.

Hello my name is
Dr Becky and I saw the role as a hospice Doctor advertised when I worked in a lovely GP practice with a GP who previously worked at Dove House, she had nothing but good things to say about working here and the work of the charity. She recommended I apply and although I didn’t know much about the hospice until then. When I came for my interview I felt instantly welcomed and was delighted when I got the job offer. I have been here a year now.

The first thing that struck me about Dove House was how friendly everyone is! The atmosphere is so warm and welcoming, but also generally very happy which is something I hadn’t expected. The staff enjoy their jobs and get on well with each other. Having only worked as a doctor in hospitals before it was like a complete breath of fresh air.

The effort the team here go to for others and how selfless they can be I think is what makes Dove House so special. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff at the hospice and I’m immensely proud to be a part of that.
Every day I look forward to seeing patients, I love that we as doctors get to spend much more time with patients here than we do in any other setting. You really get to know people; it is such a privilege.

I’ve had the pleasure of doing things most doctors wouldn’t ever get to do for their patients, and it brings me so much joy to be able to help in these unique ways. Once I went to a patient’s son’s funeral with him in case, he needed any medicines while he was there, and I accompanied a patient to a hospital procedure.   Neither of these were particularly enjoyable experiences for anyone, but being able to support them was so special and important to me.

There is so much variety every day here, after handover and ward rounds in the morning we get to support patients more individually, from painting nails to doing yoga, w do whatever is needed to improve our patients’ quality of life.

My biggest achievement is probably being a part of a lady’s journey who was admitted last year, who continues to come in for respite occasionally. She came to us depressed and fed up with everything, but since then we’ve seen her flourish and do amazingly well. She initially thought she would stay with us for end of life care but has since gone home and even discussed having further treatment with the hospital team. Whenever I see her now, I find it so rewarding to chat to her about everything she’s been doing and how much better her quality of life is. I think because she came to the hospice fairly soon after I started, the way the staff took care of her and sorted out so many of her issues really made an impression on me. Being part of that process and getting a big hug from her when she comes in is wonderful.

There have been some really upsetting times since I started working at Dove House, as you can imagine working in a hospice. What has made the biggest difference is that I know when I come out of a patient’s room, there will be multiple people waiting to give me a hug and talk to me about what has happened. Everyone is so supportive and understanding here. I know there are people who will take the time to listen.
I hope I can keep working at Dove House for the foreseeable future, and that I can continue to be part of the team delivering excellent palliative care. I’m also thoroughly looking forward to the Great Wall of China trek next year to raise vital funds for this incredible place