HEALTHCARE assistant Nancy Wilkinson has worked at St Clare’s for 11 years.
The mum-of-three said: “St Clare’s has become a big part of the community. We help to make people comfortable and give them some dignity in the last moments of their lives.
“It’s much better for the families because they can come and visit whenever they like, whereas in a hospital they are restricted by visiting hours.
“We’ve got a lot more of a homely atmosphere here and it isn’t as daunting for patients or their families. A lot of people dislike the thought of coming to the end of their lives in hospital, but here it’s a lot more dignified.”
Nancy, 48, added: “We still have people whose family members died here years ago who still come in with cakes and things like that - there’s just a lovely atmosphere.”
Nancy and the other nurses, doctors and healthcare assistants work around the clock to ensure that patients feel comfortable and have everything that they need.
She said: “We do anything they need us to, whether it’s helping them with washing or feeding or anything like that. We want them to be as happy as they possibly can.
“If we don’t get the funds we need to continue to do the work we do it will be a real shame.
“Getting the funding would mean that we could keep running our services and keep our patients as comfortable as possible.
“There’s just something about here - it’s such a wonderful place. It’s not like a hospital, it’s a lot more open and we’ve got more time to give to patients.
“We really get to know the patients and they become friends. To lose that would be tragic.”
vicki.newman@northeast-press.co.uk
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