Our staff then waits until the hearse leaves the premises before they will walk back into the In-Patient Unit. “Not only is it our way to honour the deceased patient, but also to find closure,” explains Sister Sheryl Newman, head of Clinical Services at Stepping Stone Hospice. “It can happen that a patient may stay with us for weeks. We grow to love them and we experience loss when they pass away. Yet we cannot afford to dwell on the loss, because there are other patients who need our care. We need to get back into the unit and carry on with the work we’ve signed up for. It’s what we do, and it’s what we will always do,” says Sister Sheryl.

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