Celebrating Jane! 

• 23 April 2020

Our Inpatient Unit Manager, Jane Van De Peer, started her 20 year Arthur Rank Hospice journey in April 2000. We managed to find a couple of minutes with her, during her busy shift, to find out what made her want to work in this field, what has changed since she started and what it is about our #TeamArthur family, which has kept her here for the long haul.

What attracted you to the role/working in palliative care?

During my whole nursing career I had come across palliative care patients on hospital wards that I had worked on, and had always felt drawn to these patients and the care they needed. I then had the opportunity to work alongside an inspirational Macmillan Nurse and I just knew that the specialty of palliative care was where I wanted to nurse in the future.

How have things changed both at the Hospice (two different locations) and in your role during this time?

I first started as a Bank Nurse at the Hospice working shifts that were needed, mainly weekend shifts and nights. Due to having young children I migrated to night shifts as this fitted in with family life better.

As my children grew, I increased my hours and finally I was able to commit to a full-time contract and eventually a promotion to Ward Sister. The Mill Road Hospice had such a calm, welcoming feeling, and although restricted for space, we still managed to support patients and families to the best of our abilities.

The demands on us as a service have changed dramatically over the years as specialist palliative care continues to evolve. The new Hospice building has enabled our service to evolve too. We are now able to support our patients and families in beautiful surroundings, with much better facilities whilst maintaining the calmness and welcoming feeling that we had before.

What has kept you working here all this time?

Working at the Hospice gives you the opportunity to give compassionate, individualised nursing care and the time to support the patients and families that we care for.

What does our strapline ‘making every moment count’ mean to you?

‘Making every moment count’ is vital to the work we do every day on the Inpatient Unit. We as a team realise how important it is to value the time our patients have and to maximise every moment if we can.

Please share an experience during your time at the Hospice that made you smile?

“The fundraising events have always made me smile, the Bubble Rush and more recently the Star Shine Walk. Taking part in a fun event with your friends and work colleagues whilst raising money for the Hospice is a great thing”.

In a manner we all fondly know is typical of Jane, she modesty concludes:

“I would just like to say that I am only a small part of a really wonderful team on the inpatient unit, who all help to make it the very special place it is.”

Carly Love, added:

“Jane has been an integral part of the IPU for 20 years in a variety of roles and during that time has been involved in a lot of change as the IPU has moved forward.

She is my rock at work and a constant on the IPU. Her smiley disposition and ‘can do’ approach has help to make the unit what it is today.

A great advocate for patients and their families always, but even more so during this pandemic. Also during this pandemic her flexibility at all the requests that I have made (and then may have changed an hour or so later) she has just taken it all in her stride and for that alone I want to say ‘thank you.

As I said not only a support to me but all the staff that work for her.

Thank you Jane for everything you have done and continue to do and here’s to the next 20 ??”