Pilgrims Hospices is proud to provide holistic, compassionate palliative care across east Kent. The charity supports people in many different ways, and social work is an integral part of this.
To celebrate World Social Work Day 2023, Sophie Van Walwyk, Head of Psychosocial, Wellbeing and Bereavement Services, and her team explain the vital role that social workers play within hospice care supporting patients, families and communities during uncertain and difficult times.
Sophie Van Walwyk, Social Work Lead
People often think that working at a hospice is challenging and sad. Sometimes it can be, but for me, supporting patients and their loved ones at the end of life is both an honour and a privilege.
My first experience of Pilgrims’ care was during my social work training when I shadowed the Ashford hospice team. I was so inspired by the practice I observed, which I felt reflected the core values of the social work profession. This left a lasting impression, and I began considering a career in palliative and end-of-life care.
I joined Pilgrims in 2015, initially as a social worker at the Thanet hospice, but soon progressing to the role of Lead Social Worker, managing teams across our three sites. My role continued to grow, and I’m now responsible for all teams providing psychological, social and spiritual care.
The psychosocial elements of hospice care are just as important as the care provided by our nurses and doctors. We consider the whole person, not just their illness or disease. We not only meet their physical needs, but also their psychological, social and spiritual needs.
Zoe Stoneham, Social Worker at Pilgrims Hospice Thanet
Palliative, end-of-life and bereavement care matters to everyone. Palliative social workers use their skills to help people deal with what is happening to them, including loss and grief. They also:
Support people in expressing what’s important to them and encourage open conversations
Coordinate care provisions
Liaise between professionals
Support with decision making
Draw on legislation, if required
Support with safeguarding of anyone who may be at risk of abuse/harm
I joined Pilgrims in 2016, having previously worked as a case manager in adult social services for Kent County Council. This role gave me many skills, which I was able to bring to Pilgrims.
I love being patient-facing and meeting people in the community, our Therapy Centres, clinics and on the ward. We offer practical help at home, signposting to other services, advocacy work, psychological support and discharge planning from our in-patient ward.
We’re also experienced in therapeutic work with patients and support carers with their wellbeing. I often signpost or refer to our in-house carers groups, which provide a safe space for carers to share their experiences with others in similar situations.
Clare Friel, Social Worker at Pilgrims Hospice Ashford
As a social worker, each day is different, which I love; there is an ever-present need to respond to the unexpected. I get to work alongside skilled colleagues from the multi-disciplinary team, and we’re constantly learning from each other.
I have regular opportunities to introduce myself to people at a time of heightened emotion, and I’m always awed by the generosity with which my support is received. I’m reminded daily of the brevity of life and the importance of empathy, self-determination and dignity.
Sophie Skardon, Social Worker at Pilgrims Hospice Canterbury
I joined Pilgrims in 2018 as a student social worker, and the experience stayed with me as I started my career. In 2021, I returned as a qualified social worker, based at the Canterbury hospice. We support both patients and their loved ones in so many ways. This can include navigating care pathways for support in the home, as well as offering advocacy and psychosocial support.
Pilgrims Hospices cares for thousands of local people each year, free of charge, during the most challenging time in their lives. They offer care and support in people’s own homes, in the community and in their inpatient units as well as running a 24-hour advice line.
3rd March 2023
Take a virtual tour of Pilgrims Hospices
What do you think a hospice looks like?
Many people imagine a ward and beds, a space where people spend their last days, but that is just a small part of what they offer.
Our hospices feature beautiful, tranquil landscaped gardens, professional kitchens where fresh meals are prepared daily, family lounges where patients can spend precious moments with their loved ones, Therapy Centres where we run our popular wellbeing groups, areas for spiritual reflection, and so much more.
Kate White, Head of Nursing, explains how our new virtual tours can be a helpful first step for someone considering coming into one of our hospices, and also for healthcare professionals when referring patients to Pilgrims’ services:
“The prospect of coming to a hospice can be daunting, so being able to see what it looks like can help to alleviate that. The virtual tours give people an idea of what to expect when they come to the building, and hopefully to see how the hospice is a home from home with plenty of creature comforts. To be able to view the hospice this way can also save patients and families valuable time when this is most precious.
“The tours can also enable healthcare professionals in hospitals and other settings to show patients at the bedside what the hospice looks like, to explain facilities and view the environment before physically entering the hospice. This brings the conversation to life, aids the discussion and may help to lessen the fear of the unknown. They help to show that the hospice is a calm and homely environment with a range of facilities, allowing patients and families to make the best of one of the most difficult times in their lives.”
Each year, Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to thousands of people in east Kent coming to terms with an illness that sadly cannot be cured. The charity supports patients to live life as well as possible until the very end, free from pain and distress. Care is provided from three hospice sites in Ashford, Canterbury and Thanet, as well as in patients’ own homes. To offer these services to patients and their families the charity must raise £11 million each year from the generous local community.
23rd February 2023
Peter: “The word ‘hospice’ now fills me with joy”
When Peter Clampitt from Ashford was diagnosed with lung cancer, he was referred to Pilgrims Hospices. After a short stay in the hospice, Peter was able to return home, where he is now being helped to live well with the assistance of carers, home aids, and Pilgrims’ continued support.
He wanted to share his story so that others can learn about the benefits of hospice care.
Peter, a former engineer who worked across the UK and Europe, is originally from Folkestone. He has four children – Nick, Lisa, Emma and Laura – and lives in Ashford with Laura and her two daughters, Lily and Sophia.
Peter was initially admitted to William Harvey Hospital, Ashford. He said:
“I was in a very dark place, the darkest point in my life. Thankfully, the hospital team got me referred to Pilgrims. Death doesn’t frighten me, I’m not worried about it, but I did think that a hospice was a place to spend your last days – so when I first went in, I thought I wouldn’t be coming out.
All the staff have care in their eyes, they just want to look after you. The food is excellent and I had some great conversations with the hospice team; they made me feel really good. Never in all my life have I known people be so kind and caring, they always have smiles on their faces.
Peter
“But when I went through the doors, I thought: “My god, I’m in a palace”. It had an immediate positive effect on me. All the staff have care in their eyes, they just want to look after you. The food is excellent and I had some great conversations with the hospice team; they made me feel really good. Never in all my life have I known people be so kind and caring, they always have smiles on their faces. It’s unbelievable.”
“It was an exuberant experience; when I left, I felt so bubbly, I was bouncing around like an idiot. All the nurses lined up to give me kisses! It was a pleasure to go into the hospice and have my expectations completely changed. The word ‘hospice’ now fills me with joy.”
Pilgrims helped to get Peter’s pain under control and manage his symptoms, and ultimately supported him to return to the comfort of his own home with his family.
He continued: “Each day I spent in the hospice, I felt better and better. Pilgrims arranged care packages for me at home, and also helped to get accessibility aids in place, making it easier for me to do day-to-day things like using the toilet.”
Peter is also enjoying monthly reflexology treatments and would like to try out some of Pilgrims’ wellbeing groups in the future.
Hospices aren’t just somewhere you go at the very end of your life – they can also be a place you go to heal.
Peter
Due to the care Peter is receiving, he and his family are keen to support the charity. His eldest daughter, Lisa, completed the Pilgrims Way Challenge and plans to take part again in 2023. As Peter says: “If everyone helps and does a little bit, it really does make a difference.”
He added: “Hospices aren’t just somewhere you go at the very end of your life – they can also be a place you go to heal. People need to know that. Sometimes, they can heal you more than a hospital.
“My advice to anyone considering a referral to hospice care is: Take it, it’s wonderful. I kept looking at the backs of the Pilgrims nurses to see if they had wings.”
Pilgrims Hospices care for thousands of local people each year, free of charge, during the most challenging time in their lives. They offer care and support in people’s own homes, in the community and in their inpatient units as well as running a 24-hour advice line.
1st February 2023
Time to Create: Flowers and fruit bubble wrap art
Using unconventional items like bubble wrap can be a fun and inventive way to develop your skills, create different effects within your artwork, and build up a bank of useful resources that can help you when creating new pieces.
When planning our creative, art-based groups, we like to think outside the box and discover new ways of being creative. Our group painted on bubble wrap and used it like a stamp to print a design onto paper.
Let’s get crafty
What you’ll need
Scissors
Paper or card
Paint brushes
Bubble wrap
Paint (poster or acrylic)
You can use real fruit, flowers from your garden, or images from the internet as inspiration for your creations. Simply paint your bubble wrap, then press your object onto it to transfer the paint, and finally stamp your object onto paper or other material.
If you don’t want to paint fruit or flowers, try creating something else with the bubble wrap print. We used plain white paper, but you can use any colour, as long as the your paints are thick enough to make an impact.
Cate’s first year as a Palliative Specialist Nurse
Cate Gibson, from Ashford shares an insight into her first year as a Palliative Specialist Nurse (PSN) in Pilgrims’ community nursing team.
Having recently completed my first full year as a PSN, I must say it was a hugely daunting responsibility, but over the year, I’ve managed to take that responsibility and embrace it.
The community nursing team is quite different from the ward nursing team. We spend time assessing and looking after people in their own homes, within the hospice clinics and also supporting through telephone assessments. I liaise with GPs, consultants, district and community nurses, give palliative symptom support and end of life support. Whether the need is for signposting, equipment or sociological support, or all of the nitty gritty that families and patients need to talk about. It’s a vital service, and helping people to understand how to utilise our services and manage their conditions is so rewarding.
I’m based at the Ashford hospice, which I absolutely love; it’s a very special place, I’m so lucky, every time I walk in here, I think everyone is so warm and friendly, I’m so pleased to be part of the team.
My day begins as the team meets with consultants, social workers, occupational therapists and various teams to discuss patients and get to know them really well, they are not just a name.
I’m based at the Ashford hospice, which I absolutely love; it’s a very special place, I’m so lucky, every time I walk in here, I think everyone is so warm and friendly, I’m so pleased to be part of the team.
Cate
I visit patients from across the Ashford area, from the Marshes to Folkestone, Capel and Tenterden; when travelling, I enjoy a podcast or some music and prepare for the next visit. It is so important that I’m able to give 100% of my energy to ensure I can answer all the questions and support each patient with all of their needs.
The community team collate information and share it with the specialist teams at the hospices in order to provide tailored support for each individual.
I think I always wanted to be a nurse. There are family photographs of me at about six years of age, dressed in a nurses outfit, I think I knew even then that nursing was for me. My training began as soon as I could at 18, in London at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.
I worked as part of the team at William Harvey Hospital A&E department for about 15 years and then further trained as a paramedic.
When I worked in A&E, I loved the experience of not knowing what would be coming through the door next. After joining the ambulance service, I discovered that what I really wanted was more continuity, and a better experience with patients rather than seeing someone different every time.
When I’m at the hospice working, I see patients arrive for the first time for therapy sessions, as they come in and see the set up with sofas, volunteers and smiles, you can see they feel immediately safe and welcomed.
Cate
I suppose as I became older, the draw toward palliative care became stronger; both of my parents had hospice at home care from Pilgrims. First my mum some 14 years ago and more recently my dad, who died in Pilgrims Hospice Ashford in April 2020.
Dad felt completely safe being in the care of Pilgrims, the ratio of staff to patients is greater here, allowing us to really prioritise each patient’s individual needs. Dad loved the environment at Pilgrims, he loved being here, and his preferred place of death was here. As this was during COVID, we were only allowed one visitor in the building; both Dad and I were looked after here, it’s a very special place.
I wasn’t working for Pilgrims then, but it really did inspire me to think about palliative specialist nursing.
When I accepted the role at Pilgrims, I brought my paperwork to the Ashford hospice and thought, this is the first time I’ve been here since Dad was cared for here. But I knew it was the right thing to do. My colleagues from the ambulance service said that they couldn’t think of anyone better to come and do this job for Pilgrims. I’m very proud, and I know Mum and Dad are proud of me too.
I just wish I’d found this job earlier.
Cate
It’s so very different to being in a hospital environment, we are able to offer so much more to support our patients, whether it’s breathlessness management, occupational therapy, wellbeing counsellors, social workers and most importantly a 24-hour helpline. I’m a duty nurse once a week, and do a late and early shift during the week, manning the phones. I speak to people about all of the horrible things going on at home and help them to find solutions and coping methods.
Service users are always so overwhelmingly grateful of our services.
When I’m at the hospice working, I see patients arrive for the first time for therapy sessions, as they come in and see the set up with sofas, volunteers and smiles, you can see they feel immediately safe and welcomed.
Recently, I was speaking to a lady about her husband who is in our care. She said: “Cate, you are the most amazing palliative care nurse I’ve ever spoken to.”
This was very humbling and an emotional tribute to all that we do here at the hospices. There’s something about me, I’ve found my niche in nursing.
It was indeed a massive learning curve coming to Pilgrims, the job satisfaction is beyond anything I’ve ever done, I come to work each day knowing that I’m going to make a difference to someone who is in need of our special care.
Cate
Some days you have people who are more well and in an earlier stage of their illness, when others are more unwell and come by wheelchair with their partner. The role of community nurse encompasses so much, including care for the partner’s wellbeing, offering advice, speaking to siblings and doing as much as possible to help the families through such difficult times. Getting equipment and medication in place and reassuring the families. The team work not only the day shift but can be on-site until 10pm and weekend shifts too.
It’s so lovely when someone takes the time to send a little thank you note, especially during such troubled times. I feel very blessed to be able to listen to people and identify their needs, it’s a good gift to have. I am so grateful that we have this wonderful hospice in Ashford, we help so many people, and the telephone service is so important helping people to identify services that are available to support them.
It was indeed a massive learning curve coming to Pilgrims, the job satisfaction is beyond anything I’ve ever done, I come to work each day knowing that I’m going to make a difference to someone who is in need of our special care.
I think it’s a wonderful calm environment to work in, it envelopes you as soon as you walk in, whether as a patient or a member of staff, we are a great team. Knowing that the hard work you put in benefits so many people makes it a really rewarding job.
When Cate isn’t busy with her nursing role, she loves to relax with her one-year-old springer spaniel Edith, enjoying long walks, especially in the rain!
Finally, Cate added: “I love working with my colleague Dr Pia, she’s really great, very forward-thinking and proactive and keeps us all very motivated. I just wish I’d found this job earlier.”
If you’d like to find out about a career in care with Pilgrims Hospices, please visit pilgrimshospices.org/jobs.
Each year Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to thousands of people in east Kent who are coming to terms with an illness that sadly cannot be cured. The charity support patients to live life as well as possible until the very end, free from pain and distress.
18th January 2023
Tony and Sharon renew wedding vows with the help of Pilgrims Hospices
Tony and Sharon Reed from Ashford were married for 23 years; they had wanted to renew their wedding vows for a long time, but as Sharon says: “Life gets in the way, so we kept putting it on hold.”
When Tony became unwell with cancer and was referred to Pilgrims Hospices in November 2022, he wanted to prioritise the vow renewal to make special, lasting memories with Sharon and their wider family. Thanks to a team effort by Pilgrims’ staff and volunteers, Tony and Sharon’s wishes were fulfilled; they renewed their vows at the Ashford hospice on 16 November 2022.
Sharon first mentioned the vow renewal to Les Rood, a Reception Volunteer, who passed the message to Cat Darkins, Spiritual Care Lead, to get the ball rolling.
Cat said: “’It is a privilege to be able to facilitate important life events at the hospice. We aim to keep what is important to the patient at the centre of what we do. We want to be able to help people make special memories and live life as well as possible for as long as possible. Tony and Sharon had been considering a vow renewal for some time, so for the whole of the hospice to help make it happen made it even more special.”
Sharon and Tony with Rodney the PAT dog
Cat officiated the ceremony, which was attended by the couple’s family and friends, with Tony’s sister and brother-in-law joining via video link from France. The hospice chapel was decorated by volunteers as a surprise for Tony and Sharon, and the catering team provided sandwiches and light refreshments. Volunteer Ginny Taylor arranged flower donations from a local Tesco store. Rodney the PAT dogmade a very special guest appearance, and was a great support to Tony as he was saying his vows.
Sharon said: “We were so excited; we chose our outfits and our bouquets were made by friends. Another friend, Hayley, took photos for us. Tony loved having Rodney there; he was patting away and didn’t stop smiling all day. It was amazing, really beautiful.”
Hannah Sanders, Ward Sister, worked closely with Tony and Sharon and played a vital role in helping to organise their special day. She said: “Providing this opportunity to both Tony and Sharon to renew their vows was a privilege; I saw the love they had for each other and wanted to pull out all the stops to make their wish come true. All the staff were brilliant, and I feel very proud to be a part of such a caring and supportive team.”
Tony had his own room at the hospice complete with a Cuddle Bed, an extra wide and adaptable hospital bed that enables patients to lie next to their loved one. This allowed Sharon to stay over and be close to Tony. They also enjoyed visits from family and friends, including their daughter, Chloe, and grandson, Ethan.
Tony and Sharon in the Cuddle Bed alongside Sarah Martins, Senior Ward Sister, Hannah Sanders, Ward Sister and Cat Darkins, Spiritual Care Lead
Sharon continued: “After the ceremony, so many people came to Tony’s room for a chat, to ask how we were and see the photos. All the hospice staff and volunteers are amazing, they’re like one big family.”
Tony added: “The whole day made me really, really happy. Other patients and their families saw our ceremony going on and it brought them so much joy, too.
“Everyone at Pilgrims is wonderful. They’re so helpful and just want to do what’s best for you; they listen to your wants and needs and give amazing care. I would tell anyone being offered hospice care to jump at the chance.”
Pilgrims Hospices cares for thousands of local people each year, free of charge, during the most challenging time in their lives. They offer care and support in people’s own homes, in the community and in their inpatient units as well as running a 24-hour advice line.
