Vilma’s story

A spotlight on: Vilma Baneviciute, Community Hospice at Home Nurse

Working nights around family life

“I started working for Rennie Grove Peace because the opportunity came up for me to work the night shift. I like nights because I’ve got two kids, and it works well for me with childcare. With the school runs, it’s really beneficial. We do start shifts quite late, so I can have dinner with my kids and put them to bed, and then leave the house around 8.45pm. If the night goes smoothly and there are no very late calls, I usually end up coming back on the dot for the school run. So that really works for me. I sleep from 9.00am till around 2.30pm because I have to pick my son up from school after three. But the school is five minutes away, so I can’t complain. 

“I’m a night owl – I always loved late nights. I know some people that can’t do night shifts at all – they don’t sleep during the day, and they are like walking zombies! I usually work two nights a week, sometimes three nights, all depending on the childcare arrangements.”

Working as a team to provide the best care

“I come to the office quite early before 9pm. First, I do prep because we are looking after the caseload of all the patients overnight. We work as a team – if we are very busy, we share the load and communicate with each other through the night. We have an alert list from all the teams, but we don’t actually know who is going to ring.  

“We help patients who are in need during the night. Basically, we’re managing their symptoms. Sometimes people are just desperate for any help. And even just answering phone calls and being there for them, reassuring them and advising them what medication to give to loved ones, can really help.”

Providing support when it’s needed most

“What I enjoy the most about my job is being able to help the patient and the family. Usually we get crisis calls overnight, so they are in a lot of distress, they don’t know what to do with their loved one who is very distressed and agitated. You walk through the door, and you can make this patient and their family calm. When you leave this family, you feel like you’ve done something to help them feel at peace again. 

“I remember a poor elderly wife was calling us at 8.00pm in the evening that her husband had a broken hip and she couldn’t manage to change him. We eventually got there during the night. She was so grateful. Because it feels lonely at night, you know? They feel helpless, people don’t know where to turn.  

“In this role, I think communication is the key, and empathy, to be available for the patients. We always make sure to call them back, even if you just speak with them and signpost or reassure them that the help is coming.  

“The challenging part of the job is when sometimes, whatever medication you give to the patient, they’re still very distressed, and you feel the family just looking at you, desperate. You can feel a bit helpless, because you are limited in what you can do. And then you just have to go to the normal channels like talking with NHS 111. We don’t leave the family, we stay there sometimes for hours. We must make sure that the patient settles.  

“It can be difficult when you come across patients that are quite young, my age or even younger, or they’ve got the same age children. It can be very mentally challenging sometimes, but I do reflect with my team on what’s happened.”

Making an impact on people’s lives: