Palliative Care Staff (from left to right): Bethany Sullivan, Community Palliative Care Nurse; Sharonne Hennessey, Renal Palliative Care Nurse; Helen Lawson, Palliative Care Nurse, Whittle Ward; Denise Ray, CNC RHH Palliative Care Team; Angela Kosmeyer, Manager Palliative Care Service.

Angela Kosmeyer, Manager Palliative Care Service
Manger Angela Kosmeyer has worked in Palliative Care for over 20 years. Angela values the opportunity to make a difference for vulnerable people. During this time, she has seen Palliative Care develop as a Specialty area, and witnessed how staff have adapted to the changes and opportunities that this presents.

Bethany Sullivan, Community Palliative Care Nurse
Bethany values the privilege of listening to Clients and assisting them to optimise their limited time. Bethany sees developing the specialised knowledge for her role as the key to giving quality end of life care.

Sharonne Hennessey, Renal Palliative Care Nurse
Sharonne Hennessey has worked in Renal/Palliative Care for 15 years and is a good example of role specialisation within Palliative Care. Sharonne has identified that Palliative Care has become less cancer centred, with the Palliative approach being embraced more broadly in other areas.

Helen Lawson, Palliative Care Nurse, Whittle Ward
Helen Lawson has worked at Whittle Ward for 10 years. Over the past decade, Helen has seen changes to patients expectations and also admission types at Whittle Ward, with more patients arriving earlier and having symptom management to optimise and extend quality time. Helen says she ‘loves being there for her patients, and the camaraderie she enjoys with colleagues.’.

Denise Ray, CNC RHH Palliative Care Team
Denise is the Clinical Nurse Consultant for Palliative Care at RHH. Denise started working in Pall Care through community nursing in the Huon area in 1992. Denise sees her practice as holistic, client centred and utilises clinical, emotional and physical resources to give patients control and reduce fear. Denise sees Palliative Care as everybody’s business – that it is not just ‘terminal care’, but rather about how you live until you die.

Angela Kosmeyer, Manager Palliative Care Service
Angela explained that the Palliative Care Service has done a lot of work in recent years to evaluate its role. All staff have been involved in meeting, discussing, and identifying how best to progress the service and optimise their limited funding resource.

Thank you to the team for generously sharing your insights into the important roles in Palliative Care!

If you would like to find out more about Palliative Care week, including resources, events and FAQs, visit the Palliative Care Australia website here.

Updates correct as at 27 May 2020. Authorised by Emily Shepherd, ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary