This is the day in the life of Dr Linda, a Doctor here at Dove House Hospice!

Hello, my name is Dr Linda and I joined the doctors team at Dove House in 2020.

 

What attracted you to you join the Dove House team?

I have worked at a hospice in the Midlands and I was looking to relocate when the vacancy came up at Dove House. A consultant I was working with had trained with Dr Rachael the Consultant in Palliative Medicine at Dove House and I liked what I heard about her. Three key words that Dove House use really resonate with me- Positive, Professional and Passionate.  Now I am part of that team I want to add my own word- Proud.
 

What was the first thing that struck you about Dove House when you came for the first time? Is it the same now or has it change over the years? If so, why?

I came for an informal look round before my interview and met both Dr Rachael and Dr Stephen. We had a really good chat about Dove House and hospice work in general and I felt very at ease with them. The environment of Dove House helps with that, especially the light and welcoming reception area and I still feel the same each day when I walk into work.

One of the nicest moments was when I was sat nervously waiting to be interviewed. The Senior Sisters walked passed me and were so lovely and friendly, they told me to be just be myself, that really helped me to relax.
 

What do you feel makes Dove House special?

The people. Everyone of them help to make a difference and deliver the excellent care we provide.
 

What do you look forward to each day?

I love coming to work. The level of personal satisfaction from the work that we do is immense. I feel that I fitted into the work environment from day one and have always had great support from the whole team.
 

What are the amazing moments that stand out for you in your day that make a difference to you, patients and your team?

There are so many but here are just some: I am part of a team that helps people every day at a difficult time in their lives. I love building trust with patients and their family, it is so important. Offering support, a shoulder to cry on, or to get them to chuckle when they didn’t think they had anything to chuckle about. Helping families prepare for what is always an emotional time.

I am proud of the many compliments we get. I really appreciate this open and honest environment where my line manager is open to discuss all our ideas on how to manage patients.

I love the joy offering an ice lolly can bring to someone who is struggling to eat or drink. It’s great that pets are treated as part of the family and can come and visit. We help people get married here when time is running out. Singing happy birthday to patients and presenting them with a cake made by the catering team. During lockdown patients being reunited with their loved ones in their last hours.  The fact that nurses get goosebumps from the magical moments we create. Crazy people throwing themselves out of planes to raise money for our fantastic hospice.
 

What does a typical day look like for you?

My hours are 9 am-5 pm and I work 3 days a week. I also work on call as part of a rota within the team of doctors. I can get called about patients on the unit or a possible admission. We are a hospice that will take an admission from the community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

My day-to-day work involves taking care of patients on the unit, following their care plan as set by the Consultants, taking referrals, clerking admissions in and putting together a management plan for them, helping to care for patients that are dying and their families including those tough and emotional conversations, working with the broader Multi-Disciplinary Team to ensure the best care for everyone, helping with discharge planning and prescribing of medications.

As a doctor part of my responsibility is to remain up to date with knowledge so ongoing learning is essential and we have a duty to teach others so the trainee GPs that come to work with us for six months at a time are taught and supported by the hospice doctors.
 

Working at a hospice can have its emotional times when days/patients are harder than others. What gets you through these?

I get tremendous support from my colleagues and the whole team. My husband is a huge support and a chef so I am well looked after! We have two dogs and walking them on the beach or in the countryside around where we live really helps.
 

What are your hopes for your future at Dove House?

That it gets an increase in funding from the NHS, that the redevelopment plans move forward quickly so that I get to work in the new build and that I manage to stay working here until I am ready to retire.