At Dorothy House we have a whole team of people supporting the clinical side of the Hospice. One part of this is Estates & Facilities. Made up of mixture of employees and volunteers, the team oversees the maintenance of the Winsley site and our 25 shops, manages catering for patients, visitors and staff and all housekeeping. The team ensures everything is well looked after and works smoothly, and are integral in the running of the Hospice.
Paul is Head of Estates & Facilities, responsible for the maintenance and smooth running of our Hospice and shops.
What did you do before working for Dorothy House?
Prior to working for Dorothy House, I managed a series of health and wellbeing centres. I wasn’t unhappy where I was and my career was progressing nicely, but I was interested in moving into a different industry.
What made you want to work for Dorothy House?
Someone I used to work with drew my attention to the role at Dorothy House. I knew a lot about the charity already. My first experience of the Hospice was in 2010, when I was visiting my aunt who sadly died aged 42. I remember going to visit being nervous about going into a place where people die. I will never forget walking into the room to see my aunt sitting crossed legged on the bed, Pringles in one hand and prosecco in the other. The nurse who was sitting with her said ‘you are late, come and join the party!’ It instantly changed my perception of what a Hospice is and made me think I would love to work in an environment like that.
I have always believed that everyone needs help in their life – for some that help is needed at the start, some in the middle and others at the end. I was adopted as a child, and know that the help my adopted parents gave me changed my life immensely, so now I feel that I am able to give back and help those at the end of their lives.
What is the best thing about your job?
I am fortunate that within my role I work with all departments, from the clinicians on the Inpatient Unit, to Finance, to the Communications teams. I go out to our retail shops regularly, and work across the whole of our Winsley estate. I feel like a bit of a representative for Dorothy House as I work a lot with contractors and external partners so get to endorse the Hospice, and am forever singing the praises of the work the teams do. I am very privileged to have this overview of how all the teams and individuals contribute. We are an incredibly diverse organisation, and I am lucky enough to see how all the cogs fit together.
I am also responsible for the Winsley grounds which I am incredible proud of. I cannot take personal responsibility, but have an amazing team of volunteers who work tirelessly. I love making peoples first impression of the Hospice as positive as possible and like to think of people coming in not as patients or visitors, but as guests.
What would you say to someone considering working for Dorothy House?
I would definitely recommend it. Feel free to ring up or pop in and have a chat – I am always happy to speak to people. We do so much here, and there are so many opportunities and elements to our work, which people don’t always realise. I have been here since 2019 and knew within my first week that I made the right decision joining the team.