Who we are
Meet the team
-
- Natalie Booth
-
- Debbie White
-
- Emma Sargent
-
- Sara Trill
-
- Rachel Easton
-
- Karen Armstrong
My Career Path – Debbie White
“I started my career as a newly qualified nurse on an oncology and haematology ward and did bank shifts in a local hospice, this is where my interest in Palliative Care started.
I wanted to develop these skills and moved into the community where I continued to grow and learnt that palliative care not only involves managing the condition, but providing psychological, social and spiritual support to ensure the best quality of life for patients and their families.
I was then able to move roles and work as a specialist palliative care nurse within the Macmillan unit community team where we are given a unique opportunity to assist our patients and their families to navigate through this time and hopefully provide all involved the support needed, along with complex symptom management utilising the skills I have as a nurse prescriber.
One of the most rewarding aspects of a career in palliative care is the ability to connect with our patients at the most challenging time of their lives. While we often meet under very difficult circumstances, being present as people move towards the end of life, we get to know our patients and families and have the opportunity to play a role in their lives, whilst managing complex symptoms.
I hope that at the end of the day, no matter what, I have impacted someone’s life for the better. I am very proud of my nursing profession and see my role as a responsibility we should never take for granted.
It is imperative to have broad shoulders, show your emotions (at times), and more importantly, be real and I don’t take anything for granted. I strive to be patient, calm, non-judgemental, compassionate, knowledgeable, and understanding.
I do reflect with my colleagues as they are able to understand. I do cry, I’m human and some things really strike a chord as I can relate to them from personal experiences.
It hasn’t always been easy, times are challenging, but it has and will always be worth it.”
Debbie White
My Career Path – Natalie Booth
“I was a late starter qualifying at 40 and was lucky enough to get a job as a preceptor working for 6 months as a community nurse followed by 6 months at the Macmillan unit. In hindsight this was a great start to my route to specialist palliative care working in the local hospice and closely with the wider multidisciplinary team. I returned to community nursing followed by a secondment for the then fairly new Generalist Community Palliative Care Team looking after patients in their own homes who were in the last 16 weeks of life. It was such a satisfying job being able to care for patients who wanted to remain at home to die and being able to give them consistency in care.
Later I worked as a nursing home manager which gave me the chance to positively influence end of life care at the home and staff education. For the last 6 years I have worked for a Specialist Hospital Palliative Care Team, my first job working in an acute hospital since qualifying. The experiences and skills I have obtained working almost entirely within primary care are invaluable in my current role and show that there are a myriad of different routes into Palliative care and at the risk of sounding trite it is the most satisfying job.”
Natalie Booth