The hospice has a fantastic team of housekeepers who do an amazing job every day, working behind the scenes to make sure the hospice is a clean, pleasant and safe environment for patients, their family members and our staff.
Their tireless work really hit home during the pandemic when they went over and above in keeping everyone safe, and always did so with a smile. We spoke to Jenny who joined the team in 2016 to find out more about the essential service this team provides.
What is a hospice housekeeper?
Jenny explains that her day-to-day tasks can involve sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, cleaning toilets, laundry, dusting high and low, plus the upkeep and the general maintenance of the hospice, ensuring patients and staff have a clean and safe environment.
“I will often hear amazing stories about patient’s lives and I always make time to listen to them and their relatives. This can involve making hot and cold drinks so that people can focus on their time together.”
How can a housekeeper help?
Jenny told us that the housekeeping team’s work within the hospice is to perform cleaning and domestic duties to ensure a high standard of hygiene and cleanliness throughout.
“The way we can help will vary depending on where we are. However, a good example of how we would support on our Inpatient Unit would be when patients come in poorly. We will work with them to ensure the patient has a calm and clean environment for their treatment.
“I will often hear amazing stories about patient’s lives and I always make time to listen to them and their relatives. This can involve making hot and cold drinks so that people can focus on their time together.”
Jenny mentions that the housekeeping team will also do specialised cleanse of treatment rooms including taking down curtains, wiping surfaces and steaming. “Our team work hard behind the scenes to maintain a pleasant environment for everyone that comes here.”
What do you love about your job?
“It is more a calling than a job, and it is an honour to serve patients and their families. Making sure everyone who visits the hospice is as comfortable as possible makes me really happy.”
And there’s more…
Jenny’s commitment doesn’t stop there. Never having set foot on a plane before, in 2023 she took on an epic challenge for the hospice and completed a Skydive and a Wing Walk. Since then, she went on to also complete a bungee jump to raise funds for the hospice in 2024!