County nurse featuring in BBC show to celebrate 75 years of the NHS
An end-of-life care lead nurse at a county hospital is featuring on a TV series marking the 75th birthday of the NHS.
Comedian and actor Bill Bailey is presenting the six-part BBC series which pairs up Jules Lewis, from Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), and other inspiring NHS staff with leading British artists to create specially-commissioned portraits.
Jules, SWAN end-of-life care facilitator and lead nurse, is matched with magical realist painter Belinda Eaton for the programme.
The SWAN (Signs, Words, Action, Needs) model of end-of-life care "is used to support and guide the care of patients and their loved ones during end-of-life care, and afterwards".
As part of the journey, Belinda and Bill find out how Jules and her team make patients’ last hours or days as pleasant as possible.
They arrange everything 'SWAN model of care' related, from ‘taste for pleasure’ to end-of-life care weddings.
Jules with support from lead SWAN end-of-life care volunteer Jules Lock and the team also run ‘bereavement support cafes’, to help staff come to terms with their own bereavements.
Jules said: “The whole experience has been both surreal and amazing. Bill, Belinda and the rest of the crew were so incredible and sympathetic to the work that we do. It was so great to be able to share with them what we do here at our trust and for them to meet some of those bereaved relatives who have experienced our care first hand.
“Never would I have imagined that I would ever have a portrait painted and it was both nerve-wracking and exciting. Every step of the way was emotional.”
Hayley Flavell, director of nursing at the trust, said: “It is fantastic that Jules was chosen to be part of this special series alongside other inspirational NHS staff. Jules has been instrumental in improving the care for those receiving end-of-life care at our trust. I cannot wait to see her portrait.”
Bill Bailey said: “Hearing the incredible stories of the staff who work in the NHS, and watching the brilliant range of featured artists at work has been a fantastic experience. I can’t wait for viewers to see ordinary, yet extraordinary individuals immortalised in portraiture, particularly on the 75th anniversary of the NHS.”
Other NHS staff featured included Scotland’s first Asian paramedic, a porter who joined the NHS during the pandemic and a family from three generations who span 60 years of dedicated NHS service.
The series began on BBC One on Monday at 8.30pm.
