“My name is Greg, and I work at St Clare Hospice as the Head of Quality and Audit. I’ve worked in audit for over 8 years now, literally straight out of university! I studied Health and Social Care, and then Medical Science as my post-graduate diploma which was about clinical audit, ethics, law, and practice.”
“In a nutshell, I use data to help make improvements within the hospice team, improving patient care and patient pathways. I collect, analyse, report on and investigate data to ensure that we meet guidelines and standards set by the royal colleges and the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE).”
“I work with everyone in the hospice to bridge the gap between data and change.”
“I also provide clinical and non-clinical information to staff to help improve the quality of care and support the hospice offers. That includes our HR, Finance and Fundraising departments, whilst also supporting information that we release into the public. For example, if someone wants to know how many Community visits we made to people in their own homes this year, I could tell them! (It was 2,600, by the way!)”
“I decided to go down this path for the benefit of others and to help people.”
“I’ve been interested in healthcare since I was born as I was in and out of hospital myself as a child and young person. I was born with a severe back condition called scoliosis, and at 2 years old there was a 50/50 chance of me living or dying. I ended up having a procedure that would change my life for the better. This experience has made me want to dedicate my life to ensuring that the healthcare other people receive is the best that it can be.”
“During my studies, I worked in a hospital doing lots of practical and clinical healthcare work. One summer, I returned home and my Nan got quite ill. As a family, we started caring for her at home, where I did night sittings and helped to make her as comfortable as possible. One Saturday morning she just couldn’t get up, and on the Sunday she sadly passed away.”
“Ever since then, I’ve always had a passion that people have access to hospice care and support.”
“It’s so important to have end of life support available to everyone who needs it – including patients, families, carers and friends.”
“That’s how I came to St Clare Hospice.”
“No two days are the same at St Clare, and I find my role very diverse and interesting. I work with all of the teams, both in the office and clinical members of staff.”
“I am lucky enough to be one of the people who gets to see almost everything that happens across the hospice, which actually allows for a much more joined-up approach to improving quality of care.”
“Our clinical and support teams have a very professional approach to the work that they provide. We really do the best that we can for our patients.”
“People think that the hospice is so ‘tranquil and calm,’ but behind the scenes we are on the phones pushing and pushing for what our patients need – and that passion is amazing!”
“Everyone here has a passion for the job they do, and a passion to provide the best support. Not just for our patients, but also for families, friends, and supporters.”
“I think that our staff’s passion really comes from an understanding that the care we provide makes such a difference. We’re in a very unique position that we can see the difference we make. Our staff really go on a journey with people. It’s not about a person’s illness, it’s about seeing them as a person on their journey, and journeying with them.”
“My favourite part about St Clare is the passion and openness of the people who work here. People are very willing to go the extra mile to spend time and support one another in our roles.”
“People’s doors are open at St Clare – it really is a team effort.”
“It’s not an easy job – working in a hospice. We all come into contact with people who are facing a life-limiting diagnosis, and people do die with us. We’re lucky that we have such a supportive team, as it can be difficult and challenging at times.”
“Sometimes, I am looking at a list of data and treating it as such, but in actual fact those numbers are people, families, loved ones. My challenge is to work with my data effectively, whilst always respecting that those numbers are real lives.”
“I’ve learned so much during my time at St Clare, and feel very lucky to be in my role. My passion is to always make sure that the care we provide is the best it can be, because that’s what people deserve.”
– Greg