“People see the Marie Curie daffodil and they have faith in us”

As part of the Marie Curie Response Emergency Assessment and Community Team (REACT), my main goal is to support the people around Bradford who are thought to be in the last year of their life. We have amazing nurses and being part of that team is very special. It’s a privilege to be able to offer people support for any issues they’re facing and guide them through their final weeks or months.

When we make a visit, we look at a patient’s symptoms but also look at the other problems they may be facing and talk to them about the future.

We help a person in pain by establishing what level of discomfort they’re in and finding a way of relieving that pain. If we relieve some of those symptoms, it can allow them focus on what’s important in their life, so they can start to enjoy the time they have left.

Sometimes patients have swallowing difficulties, so we see if there are other ways they can have their pain medication. If some changes are needed, we can refer them to a doctor who can prescribe something more appropriate.

But we don't just rely on medication. What helps them relax? Maybe having music playing, or they might need a more comfortable bed or mattress. Our care is about a lot more than just giving people medication.

People often don’t where to go for help when they’re affected by terminal illness. They don't know how to cope, don't know where to get support from, and they feel lost in this very medical, scary world. We offer support for all terminal conditions – not just people with cancer, and not just people who are close to the end of their life. Once people understand that I think they feel comfort.

People see the Marie Curie daffodil and they have faith in us. That gives me a massive sense of pride because it means that a lot of people have had a good experience with Marie Curie, and that we are doing what we’re here to do. It’s such a difficult time for anyone that's come into Marie Curie’s care, and so to know that we give families some comfort – that’s lovely to be a part of.

We have the luxury of being able to give each person and their family time to express how they feel, and we can explain things in more depth. We can give them information leaflets, we can listen to their family. It makes them feel safe and cared for.

Marie Curie offers lots of support to carers – we give them practical information, we listen to them, we give time just for them. In our Bradford hospice, we have carers groups, we have dedicated people who can speak to the carers and family members as well as the patient. We’ve got a volunteer Companion service who can go out to people and allow their carers to have a bit of time to themselves.

It makes me proud to come into people's lives and be able to give support and years of experience to people who are often at the lowest time in their life. They need support, and it’s just such a privilege to be in that person's life. They wouldn't have chosen to need us in their life, but we’re able to offer the support they need, when they really need it.

It's massively important that our care is about keeping the individual as exactly that – an individual. Helping them maintain who they are. Their uniqueness. We just try and support people in achieving what they want for their own end. They might want music playing, they might want candles lit. It’s about them having a voice and a choice, and us listening to it.