Celebrating International Nurses Day at Weldmar: Meet Frankie

For Frankie Matthews, being a Staff Nurse at Weldmar Hospicecare more than just a job – it’s a way of supporting the town she’s always called home.

Based at Weldmar’s Inpatient Unit in Dorchester, Frankie says; “It’s really nice to feel like I’m giving back to my local community, and to be part of something that is so well loved locally. If I tell someone I work at Weldmar, they will say that they had a parent, an uncle or aunt, or friend who was cared for by us. Everyone’s got a connection to it, and it’s really personal to people.”

Today, 12th May, is International Nurses Day, a day of celebration marked on the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, who founded modern nursing as we know it. ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ introduced an emphasis on compassion and a commitment to patient care – values that are at the heart of everything Weldmar stands for today.

Frankie says the environment at the hospice means she and her colleagues can provide an exceptional level of care: “We are lucky to have such an amazing team of nurses here, and our nurse to patient ratio is fantastic. It means that we can give time and hands on, close care to people. It makes a huge difference because you really get to know your patients and their families, and what matters to them.”

Weldmar’s nursing expertise extends far beyond the walls of the Inpatient Unit in Dorchester. The charity’s Specialist Hospice at Home team has dedicated nurses based across the south, north and west of Dorset, visiting patients in the local communities they serve. They will often be the first contact a patient has once they’ve been referred in Weldmar’s care – which means they are expected to be in the last year of life.

In addition to managing complex symptoms and providing support, they can identify the need to bring in support from other Weldmar services such as complementary therapy, physio, wellbeing activities, or counselling.

Caroline Sweetland is Director of Clinical Services at Weldmar, and says she’s proud of the diverse range of support all of our nurses give: “We have a fabulous team of nurses here. They may be leading a team in the community, or staff nurses working unsocial hours at the weekends in our hospice. They could be responding to the 24 Hour Advice Line when families are in distress, or working alongside our medical team assessing and prescribing for patients, but whatever their role is they all have a real passion for caring for people and they make a difference every day in what they do and I am so lucky to work alongside them.”

For Frankie, the longer shifts and the emotional work at the Inpatient Unit are absolutely worthwhile: “Everyone who works here is absolutely cracking! It does sound corny, but we really do feel like a family. It’s lovely.”

Today, we say a huge thank you to all of the nurses in our team at Weldmar. You make an exceptional difference every day.