“Lyn’s end of life care went above and beyond”

Late last year, Lyn, who lived at our supported living service, Williamson Court in Coventry, sadly passed away after an eight-month fight with cancer. Lyn’s brother and sister-in-law wrote to the team who cared for Lyn for many years to offer their ‘profound gratitude’ for everything they did for her.

“From the day in April when Maureen first rang us to say she had noticed that Lyn had lost a lot of weight, right through to the sad but inevitable outcome, we were not only kept informed but also included in decisions relating to Lyn’s care. [Service manager] Dawn and her team kept us up to date at every stage and we were also made to feel a welcome part of the process, and never once did we feel that we were being a nuisance with our phone calls and emails.

“In terms of the care delivered by the team, to say that it went above and beyond what could reasonably have been expected is a huge understatement. Even the Macmillan nurses commented on how caring the FitzRoy staff were with Lyn, one of them said to us that it warmed her heart to see how kind they were.

“We just want you to know what an amazing group of people they are, you could not possibly wish for better ambassadors for your organisation. The total love and care which they showed Lyn was beyond anything we could have expected, they genuinely treated her as if she was one of their own family members, whilst still remaining professional at all times.

You have the best there is in Dawn, Maureen and her team. We cannot speak highly enough of them.

Maureen, senior support worker, worked with Lyn for 24 years at various services and finally at Williamson Court. She said: “Lyn enjoyed listening to music, especially ABBA. She liked anything to do with hair and beauty and she loved going to the local Village Hotel for meals out and dancing, and even when she was ill she was adamant that she was going to attend their New Year’s Eve event. She was such a good laugh and great to have around.”

We spoke to FitzRoy’s head of quality, Kirsty, about why it is so important that we open up the conversations about end of life care.

“When delivering end of life care, you are supporting someone at a really important part of their life. It is a real privilege, you get an opportunity to deliver personalised care, shaped around what the person needs and wants.

“We provide end of life training to prepare staff and to help them get it right. We cover how to cope with everything from procedures to follow, to supporting relatives who are grieving.  End of life care is not something to be worried about, it is a part of life. And it’s so important that we get it right for that person and how they wish to spend their last weeks, days or hours – and to make them as special as possible.”