THE Evening Mail is working in colloboration with St Mary's Hospice for their Sponsor a Nurse campaign which highlights the work done by their staff. 

While her classmates dreamed of the salaries and opportunities on offer at some of our county’s biggest employers, a young Hannah Scarr only had one goal — to care for people. 

And, at just 22, she’s already made a great start to her career, having recently completed her level three in healthcare support — a first step on the road to a career in nursing.

“When I was at school most people wanted to try and get into Sellafield or BAE but I always wanted to be involved in nursing.

"I can’t remember when it started, it has just always been what I wanted to do.

“I absolutely love my job, I love going to work everyday. I don’t think many people can say that.”

The Hospice provides eight in-patient beds, and sees around 400 people in their own homes each year, right across Furness and South Lakes.

And eight out of every 10 patients they look after have their care paid for by donations, with the government providing only a fraction of the money needed to keep services running all year.

Hannah, from Millom, joined St Mary’s Hospice three years ago — and having only started to learn the job, was thrust into another world when the Covid pandemic hit.

“My training was supposed to take 18 months, but because of Covid the assessors couldn’t come in and assess you, and we were so busy dealing with looking after people that we didn’t have time to find a way to work round it, at first.

“I think the whole world was having to change and adapt to things that maybe hadn’t been thought about, so it was okay — the priority was always the patients and making sure that we were able to care for them.”

Assessment issues sorted, Hannah was proud to receive her qualification recently, and has immediately set her sights on the next step — a nursing associate course.

She said: “One of the best things about working here is that you are supported, both in terms of doing training and advancing your career, but also with the more experienced colleagues who will look after you and teach you things all the time.

"It’s a great team to be part of.”

Her favourite part of the job is the personal care that she’s able to deliver. As a health care assistant she works on both the in-patient unit and for the hospice at home service. 

Hannah said: “It’s the little things that give people the sense of being themselves, the things that might not be on a wish-list, but which never go unnoticed.

"Someone having their hair done properly or their nails, helping them to feel like themselves.

“We can’t change the outcome, nobody can, but what we are able to do is take the edges off.

"So the path is a little bit clearer and the journey is a little bit more comfortable.”

You can support St Mary’s by signing up to make a regular affordable donation, under their ‘Sponsor-a-Nurse’ scheme.

Visit www.stmaryshospice.org.uk.

READ MORE: The hospice needs you!' - Could you help sponsor a nurse?