Making An Impact From Behind The Scenes
They may not wear uniforms, but Nicole and her admin team are every bit as vital to patient care as those on the front line.
At ellenor, a charity providing hospice care for adults and children, most of our support takes place in the community – in people’s own homes. Alongside this, we provide specialist care on our inpatient ward and through our new Wellbeing Centre, helping families access the right care and support when and where they need it most.
Our clinical admin team are just as devoted to supporting patients and families as the doctors, nurses and therapists who deliver their care. They are the backbone of a highly professional, much-loved and vital organisation. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to run our services so smoothly and efficiently.
Deputy head of clinical admin Nicole said: “I feel like what we do really matters and that we are making an impact on people’s lives. My job is to run the Clinical Admin service and liaise with all the operational heads.
Nicole’s own personal struggles with anxiety allows her to empathise easily with others.
“I feel so deeply for people when they tell me how they feel,” she said. “I want to do everything I can for them or at least point them in the right direction.”
The clinical admin team are often the first point of call for someone who is feeling especially vulnerable. The team can take referrals or help patients and families who want to self-refer. Between them they manage the systems and coordination for ellenor’s services. That can be anything from monitoring emails to ensuring smooth communication between teams and families.
Nicole has seven members of staff and seven admin volunteers under her wing, as well as two volunteer couriers and five volunteer patient drivers.
The volunteers support the staff the switch board taking calls and passing them to the relevant person or department.
Nicole said: “The people who come to us need reassurance, guidance and hand holding and that’s what we are there to do.”
The charity receives a huge volume of calls from patients and families and the clinical admin team pride themselves on knowing a lot about people’s individual struggles.
“They might not know us, but we know a lot about them and care about them,” said Nicole. “People don’t necessarily notice us, but I always tell my team we are the heart of the hospice and are brilliant in ensuring everything runs smoothly.”
Nicole knows how important it is to stay in touch with what happens at the hospice on a day-to-day basis, understanding the needs of patients and their families and the difficult situations met by her colleagues.
She feels she has real empathy with people facing life’s challenges.
Nicole has regular contact with ellenor’s seven clinical operational leads but also likes to keep in the loop with other departments, offering support where she can. She attends meetings and manages the database, making sure all departments use it efficiently.
When the 26-year-old left school, she worked in retail but admits that it has only been since working at ellenor that she has found complete job satisfaction.
She said “I saw an apprenticeship at ellenor advertised and applied, so I ended up here by chance really. After my apprenticeship I had one years in clinical admin before being promoted to my current role.
“It gave me a bit of experience of how best to deal with people. I’m a bit of a people pleaser so I will always want to do anything I can to make people happy.
“I never expected to end up doing what I am doing, but working here has given me a purpose and I have grown a lot. I have loved being at ellenor and I have found my way and made plenty of friends. It’s not just a workplace for me – it’s my social life as well.”
“When I first came to ellenor as an apprentice I really didn’t think I would go anywhere,” she said. “I struggled with learning all the clinical information and processes at first, and I also suffer with anxiety. I get overwhelmed very easily but once I get into something I am okay. I have never been happier in a job, and I can’t imagine working anywhere else.
“I think everyone at ellenor would agree that I have grown very much since I joined.”
During her time at ellenor, Nicole has seen the charity face big challenges and major changes including the Covid pandemic and the huge rebuild at Northfleet.
She said: “We have so many more patients coming through now and people asking about groups that we hold at the hospice. Day patients love coming in for groups like seated exercise or arts and crafts.”
Nicole often attends ellenor events outside of work time, especially the annual Twilight Walk, quizzes and bingo.
Nicole is not the only member of the clinical admin team that likes to “get involved”. They all go above and beyond the call of duty to help patients and families. Their admin role does not stop at an email, a computer screen or a faceless database.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from my team,” said Nicole. “They all come into the role with basic expectations and every one of them has gone above and beyond, including our volunteers. We all feel very strongly about what we do.”
Nicole’s story is a reminder that every act of support – whether clinical or behind the scenes – helps ellenor bring care closer to home for families who need it most.
