1Can you explain your role in one sentence?I'm a palliative care ambulance driver for the St John's Hospice supporting those in the local area who are living with life limiting illness. Along with my colleagues we take patients to and from the hospice inpatient unit, the Wellbeing Centre and outpatients clinics run by the hospice.

2Did you find yourself in this role by accident or design and how long have you been doing it?It was by design. I was working in a care role previously and, prior to having my children, I worked at The Royal Free Hospital. I always wanted to be a driver at St John’s, so when I saw the advert, I immediately applied and have been here over a year now. I'm so proud to be a part of this team. It's amazing what capacity all the staff have for caring.

3What's the best part about your role?Helping patients to use our Hospice Wellbeing Centre. It's rewarding when you come across someone who is tentative at first but the whole team helps them to relax, and you start to see them enjoying themselves.

4What's the most challenging part of your role?When a patient’s health deteriorates, particularly young people or those with young families, and the inevitable happens. It's challenging but we make sure to see the value in every individual. They have had careers, families, been successful across many areas, and we see and recognise them all as individuals.

5How many journeys does the ambulance service make per year?Our ambulance service makes over 2,000 journeys every year, and it’s not just transporting patients to our services. It’s making sure essential equipment is delivered to a patient’s home or dropping off care packages and even taking patients to fulfill their last wish, such as making a trip to the seaside. Every journey is important.

6What might surprise people about your job?We see patients in their home environments which means that as drivers we can observe accessibility barriers and inform colleagues. For example, the need for handrails around a patient’s home, such as a current case being followed up by an occupational therapist from the hospital. They will review it and advise the landlord or council of the need for their tenant or patient homeowner. Generally, we as drivers feedback daily regarding patients’ accessibility difficulties and barriers.

7Is December expected to be a busy time for you and what does your Christmas schedule look like?It is particularly busy! We will work late to help bring patients to activities and services during the days and evenings, such as the Light up a Life celebration on 9 December. We make sure those who are isolated and may not have family around aren’t alone during Christmas as we recognise it can be a particularly difficult time for some of our patients. We also see a lot of generosity from our supporters during this time. This year we are participating in The Christmas Challenge - Big Give which helps raise vital funds, including our ambulance service. We ask supporters wanting to make Christmas donations to do so between 3-10 December 2024 (midday) and their donation will be doubled.

8What do you like about the local area?St John’s Wood is especially lovely in the summer. It feels like you could be anywhere in the Mediterranean! Regent’s Park, the Mosque, Church Street, and Edgware Road going down to Marble Arch. I love going with my family to enjoy Arabic food in the area.
There are also so many hidden gems such as antique shops and galleries that you can stumble upon.

9What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?As a single mum I am always busy, but I’m also a trained artist and I love to go to art museums and exhibitions. I'm also interested in Islamic and World history.

10If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would it be?I visited Tunisia in June, but only in the north of the country. I would love to go back and visit a little island in the south called Djerba. Tunisia is such an amazing place for learning about the history of civilisation.

11Who is your hero and why?The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Yet I see his qualities exhibited in others all the time and I admire many people who show humility, patience, understanding. These qualities which we can all aspire to, whether its during times of illness or crises.