Life as a paramedic was fast-paced, stressful and involved critical decisions every single day for Jess Timbrell. After several years of training and hands-on service on the road, she was both confident and qualified to respond in emergencies and make split-second choices to save people’s lives. But something was missing.
“I always had an interest in palliative care,” said Jess. “As a paramedic, you go out to a lot of people who are at the end of life, but you can’t spend the time you want with them because emergency demand is so high.
“It was so disheartening sitting with someone in an ambulance queue outside the hospital for hours, knowing they didn’t have long to live. And then when I did drop them off, I would never find out what happened to them.”
Jess was proud to be a paramedic, first with South Western Ambulance Service and later working with a private company, but she was ready for a change of focus.
The turning point came after a very personal encounter with hospice care. Her dad, and “best friend”, John Roberts was cared for at St Luke’s specialist unit in May 2024. Jess immediately felt this was somewhere she could make a difference.
“Although it was a horrible time, my dad was really well cared for, and it was just a lovely place,” she recalled. “I thought, if I can give that care to someone else and make them feel happy and relaxed, then that’s what I will do.”
Not long after her dad died, Jess spotted an advert for a job at St Luke’s and thought she would apply, even though she didn’t have the specified nursing qualifications. She was shortlisted for interview and just over a year ago started her new role as an end of life paramedic on the specialist unit, where the hospice looks after patients with the most complex symptoms and needs.
“I knew there were things I didn’t know because although nursing and paramedic training are both rigorous, they are not the same. But I managed to convince St Luke’s I had a lot of transferrable skills and that I was willing and ready to learn,” she said.
“As a paramedic you are autonomous. You are on your own, making really big decisions, and you have to gain so much information, sometimes in seconds. Having doctors, nurses and other people in the hospice for support and to ask questions is so lovely and a massive change for me.
“I love it here. I love the way that we can give continuous care to patients and their families, even though it is sad sometimes.
“I feel it’s a privilege to be with somebody at the end of their life. If they are relaxed and content with no worries, then I have done my job. It took me a couple of months to find my feet, but I feel at home now.”
The learning curve has been huge, but it’s something Jess has embraced with a passion.
A major shift was moving away from saving lives at all costs being the top priority and adjusting to an environment where someone’s comfort and dignity come first and being there for their loved ones is an integral part of the package.
“Here, we do the caring and family members can be mum or wife, brother or sister.”
As a member of the highly skilled and experienced team, Jess has not only gained important knowledge from nursing colleagues, but she has also discovered how looking at things from a paramedic perspective can be helpful sometimes.
“Being in emergency situations builds your resilience, I think. Nothing really phases me. For example, if someone falls or has a seizure, these are things I have seen a lot. I can be relaxed and reassuring,” said Jess.
“Recently, a patient in the unit suffered a broken leg as a progression of their illness. It’s the sort of injury I have a lot of experience of, but they don’t commonly see at the hospice. I was able to help move the person comfortably and safely. My training has taught me how putting someone in a certain position can sometimes be more effective for pain relief than medication.”
Jess has found many opportunities to learn both from the nursing team as well as through more formal training provided in-house by St Luke’s.
“Before I came here, I wasn’t trained to take blood samples, put in a catheter or deal with tracheotomies and feeding tubes but now I can do all those things confidently. From an end of life perspective it has also been important for me to recognise what stage of their journey a patient has reached,” she said.
“The training opportunities here are fantastic with lots of relevant sessions and courses online and face-to-face.”
A big bonus for Jess is having the time to make connections with people she cares for and their loved ones, and she says she is now more confident around people’s strong emotions.
But the icing on the cake is knowing that her Dad would be so happy that she is at St Luke’s fulfilling a role she loves.
“He saw me qualify as a paramedic, then when he was cared for here at St Luke’s, I remember him saying to me: ‘You would be good doing something like this…’ and here I am,” said Jess.
“I know now that end-of-life care isn’t something to fear. It’s part of life. It’s sad some days, but it’s such a privilege to make someone feel comfortable and to support their family.”
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