TGt Meets...Jessie May's Nurse, Charlotte

Meet our latest TGt Meets..Charlotte, one of Jessie May's sensational nurses, talks all about what it's like leading a job that creates so much pressure and you can support Jessie May Children's Hospice!

Tell us a little bit about yourself…

My name is Charlotte and I work as a Community Children’s Nurse at Jessie May. I have been working for Jessie May for nearly 4 years and before that I worked as a nurse in various settings including schools and wards in a hospital.

Please tell us a little bit about Jessie May Children’s Hospice at Home…

Jessie May is a very special charity as we care for children and families with life-limiting and life threatening illnesses. We provide respite nursing care for children so their families are able to do ‘normal’ day to day things such as shopping, sleeping, or picking their other children up from school, all whilst knowing their child is being expertly taken care of by a trusted and trained nurse. We also provide palliative care for children who are very sadly nearing the end of their life and help to support their families through this, and after their child has died.

What persuaded you to work at Jessie May Children’s Hospice?

I knew about Jessie May before I started working here, as Liz Lewington (previous Director of Care) came to the University of the West of England where I was studying and gave a talk to my class back in 2011. She really inspired me, and I loved the idea of working as a Community Nurse, being able to give more personal care than I could in a hospital.

What’s been the hardest challenge you’ve had to face since working with Jessie May?

Due to the nature of our work and caring for extremely poorly children, it is of course extremely difficult to see children so unwell and die as a result of their illness. I do whatever I can to help them and their families and it is the ultimate reason why I am a Jessie May Nurse - to help these children and families who need this very specialist care and support.

What are some of the roles you carry out within your day to day job?

No day is the same here at Jessie May! I spend my time looking after children in their homes, but we can also do visits outside of the home if they are feeling well enough, even if that is sitting in the garden having some fresh air whilst I cuddle them and make them feel comforted. I also attend various meetings for the child or to support their parents at medical appointments. We have an office where we spend time keeping all of the children’s paperwork up to date and have team meetings about the children and their various care needs.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

In my spare time, I really enjoy spending time with my family and friends, going on long walks and…shopping! I enjoy reading and I am quite crafty, I love making personalised cards or gifts for my friends and family – and I have transferred this into my working life and quite often make cards with many of our children as a gift to their families for when they get home!

What’s been the highlight of your career so far?

It’s very difficult to pick a ‘highlight’ of my career so far, I have worked in various settings with lots of different teams over the years and I am really pleased to have my dream job so early on in my career working at Jessie May. My main goal when I qualified as a nurse was to go home every day feeling like I have done a good job, and working for Jessie May makes me feel so proud, I feel privileged to look after such special children and families and be a part of their lives.

How can people support Jessie May?

You can support Jessie May in a variety of ways:

Jessie May relies on donations, no matter how big or small, to continue the FREE support that we provide to families across the South West. You can make a donation on our website HERE!

We have a number of events running throughout the year at which you can meet some of our team HERE!

Or, if you fancy giving up some of your time each month, then get in contact to find out about our Volunteering opportunities: https://www.jessiemay.org.uk/volunteering/