I HAVE a long and very varied background in healthcare, but I always wanted to work in palliative care.

When I finally had the opportunity at Sue Ryder Manorlands hospice, in Oxenhope, I was delighted.

Working in a hospice, you are involved in every step of the care with a patient. You have more time to build a rapport with the patients and we really work as a team, with a lot of input from the doctors.

It’s far from doom and gloom working in a hospice. The whole idea of palliative care is to live to die – we try to make each day as important as we can. We have done all sorts of things to help people live their last days well, from bringing in lambs when they have been born in the spring, to birthday parties and weddings – it is a very uplifting place. There’s sadness of course, but also a lot of happiness working here.

The most rewarding part of my role is supporting someone to die well. It really is a privilege to help someone achieve that.

If you’re considering a career in palliative care, I would say you need to be level-headed, caring and be able to talk to people.

Our staffing levels and the model of nursing we use allows us time to really get to know our patients and their families.

The team at Sue Ryder Manorlands hospice is amazing. There’s always someone to talk to and we really lift each other up, we work so well as a team.

If you are interested in a career at Sue Ryder Manorlands hospice, visit sueryder.org/jobs

Angela Walsh, registered nurse, Manorlands