Clare is one of our Palliative Medicine Consultants, joining the hospice back in 2014.
Originally from the North East, Clare’s desire to help people saw her train and qualify as a Doctor in London.
Working across various settings for the hospice, Clare particularly enjoys supporting people across the Barnsley district, whether in the hospital, out in the community in people’s homes or on the Inpatient Unit (IPU) at the hospice.
Clare says: “I really value the importance of being able to support people get access to symptom control, which can drastically improve their quality of life, in whatever setting that may be. I take pride in introducing people to the hospice’s services and delivering specialist care as part of a clinical team that focuses on concerns identified by the patient as important to them. Unfortunately, misconceptions around hospice care can delay patients and families initially accepting a hospice referral; frequently patients voice that they wished that they had understood earlier that we work closely with other specialists e.g oncologists/neurologists who may be involved in their care to support symptom control and assessment regarding future treatments.
“We find patients who have had hospice admissions to get their symptoms under control often wish to come back here to receive end-of-life care, at that time, and that’s an important part of what we do, but only one part of it. Offering personalised care and also care for patients’ families, whilst a patient is much earlier in their journey is really important.”
Outside of work, Clare is a busy mum of two teenagers and enjoys running, having fundraised for the hospice by partaking in 10k races and is also a lover of outdoor swimming.
