Hospice care at Christmas

Supporting the community over Christmas

The Christmas holiday season is in full swing and for most of us it means a well-deserved rest and a reset before the start of the New Year. For our dedicated clinical teams, however, the festive period brings increased demand. Working on Christmas Day is part and parcel of life as a doctor, nurse, paramedic or healthcare assistant. Our teams are committed to providing the best possible care for their patients and families but even more so at Christmas, knowing it could be the last one they spend together.

We’ve spoken to some of our colleagues about their experience of working over Christmas and what it means to them:

Liz is a nurse in the overnight Hospice at Home team. Liz and her colleagues worked tirelessly throughout last December, with Christmas Eve being particularly busy. There was a surge in telephone calls and home visits with families desperate to ensure that their loved ones were comfortable and pain-free ahead of Christmas day and the days thereafter. Liz and her colleague left the office to visit the first patient in need of care at 10.00pm on Christmas Eve and didn’t return to their desks until 6.30am on Christmas Day.

Liz said: “Some homes we visited had no decorations up at all and it really hit home that for many of our patients it was not a time to be celebrating because they or their loved ones were so poorly.  We also visited families eager to celebrate Christmas early, keeping up with their usual festive traditions, not knowing what was ahead of them or the time they had left with their loved ones. It was inspiring to see families maintain a sense of normality and positivity amongst the sadness they were going through. All were extremely grateful for our visits during the festive period and it was clear that the families really valued our support and that we were there for them even though it was Christmas”.

Emma Njimogna is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Rennie Grove Peace Hospice at Home team, covering St Albans and the surrounding areas. This year [2024] she will be working an early shift on Christmas day.

Speaking about her experience of working over Christmas, she said:

“It’s always a very busy time for us with the combination of winter illnesses making people more unwell, and the closure of other services meaning people rely on our team more than ever. In the days running up to Christmas we are often very busy as families try to ensure that their loved one will be as stable and comfortable as possible for Christmas.

“On Christmas Day itself, it’s hard to predict how busy it will be. Sometimes patients and families are reluctant to call us but I always encourage them to call if they need us – that’s what we’re there for! We’re there for them 365 days per year so to us it doesn’t matter if it’s Christmas Day or any other day – if our patients need us, we’ll be there.

“I always find patients and families are very appreciative of the fact that our service still runs on Christmas Day. When other services either close or operate reduced hours, they often tell us how grateful they are that they know they can still call on us. They tell us that it makes them feel safe and confident to carry on with their plans at home.

Michelle is an Inpatient Unit nurse associate. On working over Christmas, she said:

“We give families a safe place to be with their loved ones without needing to be their carer.

This allows them to be themselves and for everyone to have the space to be open and honest knowing support, kindness, empathy, compassion and a helping hand is there. It is an honour to do this job no matter what day of the year it is.”

Her colleague, Charlotte, who is a healthcare assistant in our Inpatient Unit, added:

“Working over the Christmas period feels extremely rewarding as you’re watching people who are battling with their health – and those around them – have a day that they will never forget. Spending Christmas with their spouse, children or grandchildren gives them a chance to create memories that will last forever.”