Coventry: Terminally-ill mum's call for more hospice workers

Emma Poole is urging more people to consider becoming a hospice carer

A terminally-ill mother-of-four has called on people to consider a career working in hospices.

Myton Hospice, which has 28 in-patient beds for people across Coventry and Warwickshire, is holding a recruitment day to raise awareness of its staffing needs.

It comes after industry body Skills for Care said the number of empty care jobs rose by 52% in a year.

Backing the recruitment drive, cancer patient Emma Poole praised the hospice.

"[It's] really good," she said. "It's like a home from home, you're treated like a person not a number.

"Everyone's very friendly, everyone gets on with everybody, you're made to feel like part of the family."

The recruitment day for nurses and physiotherapists is set for Saturday 22 October between 10:00 and 16:00 BST.

Sue Medlock said it was a privilege to look after hospice patients

As well as treating patients at its site in Coventry, last year it also helped 1,500 people in the community. But with demand increasing, the charity is recruiting.

Hospice nurse Sue Medlock, who left the NHS five years ago, believes a hospice environment can suit the right individual.

"It's an area that can be difficult and challenging, as all nursing roles are," she said. "But I think if you find that you enjoy it, you'll never go back.

"It's a privilege to look after people."

Ruth Freeman, the chief executive of Myton Hospice, said: "It is an ongoing challenge but I don't think [there] is a [recruitment] crisis, you just have to think forward."

Having enough hospice staff is an "ongoing challenge", Myton Hospice chief executive Ruth Freeman has said