“I’ve always been passionate about providing excellent care and believe that the little things we do can make a massive difference to patients and their families at what can be a distressing and difficult time.”
Jo Gaskell has been the End of Life and Bereavement Clinical Lead Nurse since October 2021. The service offers support for the person in the last days and hours of life and for anyone who has been or is bereaved. She qualified in 1997 and has worked mainly within surgery and specialist palliative care.
She said:
"The End of Life and Bereavement Team promotes dignity, respect, and compassion in the last days of someone’s life and excellent bereavement care. The team also provide support to families following a sudden and unexpected death.
The aim of the service is to improve patient care by providing education to colleagues across the Trust, as this can make such a difference to patients and those important to them.
I have always enjoyed teaching and undertaking projects, so it was a real honour to be part of the team that were nominated for the Health Service Journal (HSJ) award last year for improving end of life and bereavement care.
We want to give the best care possible to all patients and those important to them. Our team can make a big difference to someone when they are dying, and it is lovely when we receive positive feedback.
When I am not working, I like to spend time with family and friends. I also love to be outdoors, I run, walk, cycle and travel as often as I can. In 2015 I ran the London Marathon in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support which was a great experience.
I’m lucky to work within a great team who support each other and are all passionate about improving patient care."
If this has inspired you to join the #ELHTFamily take a look at the current opportunities at www.elht.nhs.uk