insideKENT Magazine Issue 78 - September 2018 | Page 158

CHARITY
Kent Charity Profile:
ellenor (EDUCATION)
ellenor IS A CHARITY FUNDED BY THE GENEROSITY OF THE LOCAL
COMMUNITY. IT OFFERS THE BEST CARE AND SUPPORT TO FAMILIES
FACING TERMINAL ILLNESS IN KENT AND IS THE ONLY CHARITY IN KENT
THAT PROVIDES HOSPICE CARE FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES – BABIES,
CHILDREN, ADULTS, AND THEIR FAMILIES.
Hospice care is a philosophy, not a building;
its holistic care supports the whole family. It
isn’t just for older people with cancer; ellenor
cares for all ages, people with COPD, organ
failure, Alzheimer’s/dementia and neurological
disorders. Their children’s service also cares
for those with complex life-limiting disabilities.
And now, ellenor is offering something new
and innovative in terms of education. This
month, insideKENT’s Lisamarie Lamb spoke
to Sue Marshall of ellenor about what it is they
are doing.
How did the new education programme at
ellenor come about?
You may remember a little while ago there
was a big news story about the failings of a
hospital in mid-Staffordshire. Because of the
160
problems experienced there, the Francis
Report was issued, and within that report it
laid out where things had gone so badly
wrong. The outcome of the Francis Report
was another report, the Cavendish Report,
which set out 15 different standards of care
that every care home, nursing home and
hospice needed to work to. We wanted to
ensure that those looking to work in the care
sector understood those standards, and so our
work experience arm was created to teach
them.
How is your work experience
programme different?
Most work experience programmes last for a
week or so, and consist of the people on the
programme making lots of tea and maybe
making beds. At ellenor that’s not the case.
Our programme is a six-month course, and
those enrolled on it receive a Care Certificate
at the end, showing that they have passed and
understood what it means to be a carer.
They have to work for us for four hours a week
for those six months. It all starts with an
induction day which goes into the health
and safety aspects of it all – exactly as a nurse
or doctor starting their training would have.
Then the students come onto the ward
and immediately interact with patients and
their families.
That means they have to deal with death –
we are a hospice helping those at the end of
their lives, after all. So it’s important to support
them and watch them to make sure they’re
okay. But we have to remember that these
people, these 17 year olds for the most part,