Meet Roxy, one of our Band 6 Charge Nurses, who made the move from the West Country to live in the capital, working for Trinity. 

Once a patient is admitted a Charge Nurse is pivotal for keeping in contact with everyone linked to them, ensuring they have the best care from the whole multi-disciplinary team. 

Working in palliative care can be challenging, emotional at times, we lean on each other as colleagues.

The team at Trinity is very diverse, we are all different personalities but because of that we create a great team, encouraging and supporting each other. We all have one thing in common: ensuring we provide care that makes a difference at such an important time in someone else’s life.

My role is to lead the team of fantastic Nurses and Healthcare Assistants ensuring that outstanding palliative care is provided. We work very closely with colleagues across the extended multidisciplinary team – from Clinicians to Physiotherapists. As a Band 6 Charge Nurse I am responsible for communicating across the team ensuring that patients’ care is holistic in its approach, so that the patient has everything they need.  

The charge nurse is involved in the planning of admitting patients and discharging, ensuring it is safe to do so. You could look at the charge nurse role as the conductor of the band, hopefully conducting beautiful music!

We often care for people at Trinity that have been through a challenging time, whether this is at home or in hospital. The work the team does at Trinity allows our patients to manage symptoms that they may be experiencing, families can be family, having a chance to rest from care duties but most importantly allows patients to live well – however this may look.

Often living well is not how it once would have been for an individual but allowing patients and their families to adapt to a new way of life, whether that life is months or days and to enjoy precious time.

As a palliative care nurse, I see people at their best, and their worst. We see love at a level that is unimaginable – being a part of that is so special. Being able to provide a safe environment for patients and their families to feel relaxed and at ease when potentially their time is short is so important to me. Trinity has created that place, where patients and families can freely experience all that they are going through.

Before working for Trinity, I had grown up, trained and worked in the west country – which I loved but it was time for a change. I worked at the local Hospice Dorothy House – in my time there I worked both in the community and on the inpatient unit providing palliative care.

I joined the charity last year and have been able to use my transferable skills to provide care to a diverse group of patients. Coming here I am learning something new each day, whether that be about myself or something else.

I relocated to continue my career in nursing and finding somewhere to live was relatively simple. Now I am part of daily conversations with my wonderful collages about the best bus route from Peckham to Clapham, as country girl turned London commuter, getting stuck behind London buses as opposed to tractors!

When I started my career I trained at University West of England in Bristol, doing the majority of my placements at The Royal United Hospital in Bath. From a young age I've always wanted to look after vulnerable people.

I was brought up in a family of nurses - both my grandmother and mother are nurses. Growing up I spent time after school and weekends helping at our family run care homes; serving tea and coffee to the residents. Being a nurse is in my blood, I really don’t know how to do anything else. 

                            Running the shift with a big smile when staying in touch with patients, families and colleagues 

Visit Band 6 Charge Nurse vacancies