A Day in the Life: Dr Will Bodger

Dr Will Bodger, Specialty Doctor in Palliative Medicine, has been part of the medical team at Weldmar Hospicecare since 2024. He spends two days a week based at the hospice and also works in general practice in Weymouth.

The day begins for Will, as it does for many of the team at the hospice, with ‘Take 5’. This is a daily update on each patient’s care and wellbeing, and for Will it helps set an ‘order of play’ for the day, allowing him to identify those patients who may have deteriorated or become more unwell and see them first.

“Patients might be in the hospice for specialist support with managing symptoms, or we could be caring for them towards the end of their life,” explains Will. “A typical consultation might start by asking, ‘Is there anything you’d like us to think about today?’ and I can be guided by what matters most to the patient. Other times, it may be more focused on understanding a symptom that’s troubling them, such as pain or nausea. We may also be reviewing a recent change in medication to see whether it’s helping and whether any adjustments are needed.”

It’s not just the patients at the hospice who benefit from Will’s expertise. He also joins the Weldmar Community Nurses from the Specialist Hospice at Home service, visiting people across Dorset who may have more complex needs or concerns. Will says these visits give him the time and space to build a fuller picture of what someone is going through:

“We can talk about what’s been happening recently, treatments, scan results, or even if what they’ve had for lunch is causing them to feel sick. Whether it takes ten minutes or an hour, we can talk about anything going on in that patient’s world that is important to them without needing to rush.”

Dr Will, alongside colleagues in Weldmar’s medical team

As well as having time to spend with patients, Will says a big difference in being a hospice doctor is the ability to prescribe more than medicine: “A patient might say they want a bath today. That’s just as important as medication because it’s about the person as an individual and their quality of life. If someone says they have sore legs, I can suggest a massage or reflexology from our complementary therapists, which can sometimes be far more helpful than medication.”

Fellow healthcare professionals also have access to Will’s expertise through Weldmar’s 24 Hour Advice Line. Throughout the day, he can receive calls from local GPs, District Nurses and other healthcare professionals seeking specialist advice, reassurance that they are taking the right course of action, or support in managing a particular symptom or problem for one of their own patients. “I feel very privileged to work here,” says Will. “Especially for patients coming towards the end of their life, time is precious. To be allowed to share that time with them and, hopefully, help relieve some of their symptom burden feels very special.”