St Rocco's Sonya Currey on caring for Warrington's most vulnerable

And when you apply that to Warrington one of the first things you might think of is St Rocco’s.

You are reminded almost on a daily basis what the hospice means to its community in the area.

Families speak highly of St Rocco’s for the way staff treat patients with great care and respect at a most vulnerable time.

St Rocco's chief executive Sonya Currey

And you very often hear of people being inspired to raise money for the Bewsey hospice because of the difference its end-of-life care can mean in someone’s final days.

Sonya Currey, a former district nurse at Warrington, is St Rocco’s new chief executive and how well the hospice is embedded in the community was why she was interested in the role.

“That was a huge part for me,” she said.

“I’m a Warrington resident and have been for most my life and that sense of belonging to a community and having the opportunity to work within the community was part of why I wanted the job.

St Rocco's chief executive Sonya Currey

“I recognise how precious St Rocco’s is to Warrington. What is special to the team here is that they can directly see the effect they have on patients and their families.

“My passion throughout my career has been palliative and end of life care so I feel really privileged to have this opportunity.

“The team understand too what a privilege it is to be to interact with our patients and their families at a really vulnerable time in their lives.”

Culcheth resident Sonya admitted the job comes with an emotional toll for all at the Lockton Lane hospice.

St Rocco's chief executive Sonya Currey

She added: “It is an enormous responsibility in that sense so it is about making sure we support each other as well because there is a lot of emotional intensity there as well.”

Sonya started in April – taking over from Pam Massey – and had the challenge of taking the reins mid pandemic.

She said: “It is testament to Pam’s commitment, dedication and legacy and the fantastic team that have stood them in good stead over the past 18 months.

“I’m keen to celebrate that and now think what is the next step? How do we move forward?

Sonya Currey is St Rocco’s chief executive Picture: Dave Gillespie Picture Pictures: Dave Gillespie

“The expectations of society and how we live has been very much influenced by the pandemic.

“I think there now needs to be a period of time where we look at the community needs again.

“What does the community of Warrington need from its hospice? But it’s bigger than that because it’s about how the hospice works with its partners because we know demands on health services are only growing so how do we work in a collaborative way to best meet the needs of Warrington?”

Another of Sonya’s goals is to continue St Rocco’s work in normalising death ‘which can be seen as quite a harsh process’.

St Rocco's chief executive Sonya Currey

Sonya added: “There are a lot of myths around death and dying and the hospice sees itself as having a role in trying to introduce the normality of death within society. The team has done a lot of work with schools.”

As she finds her feet in a challenging era, Sonya’s job has been made easier by a ‘tight-knit team’.

She said: “I was just writing a report and that gave me the opportunity to take a look back over past year.

“The team have been able to keep the hospice open which has not been without its challenges for a small organisation.

The former district nurse has dedicated her career to palliative care

“In fact, during the crisis the team were able to help more patients due to an increase in the number of beds thanks to assistance from the Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group.

“Also within that time the integrated palliative care hub was developed just as Covid landed really.

“That is a single point of contact for patients, carers and professionals for care at end of life.

“Over the course of the pandemic unfortunately we weren’t able to keep our Vitality Centre open.

St Rocco's chief executive Sonya Currey

“So coming in and seeing how well it is functioning now was a pleasure. The staff there did an amazing job in being dynamic and agile and responsive which is what our community needs.”

As a former district nurse in Warrington, Sonya has worked alongside the hospice throughout her career

Sonya added: “The hospice, for me, is a very vibrant place. Sometimes people who haven’t been to the hospice perceive it as a place that somebody comes to die.

“In some instances that is the case but there are also a lot of people who come for what we call symptom control and our support services and have experiences that help them to live well.”

Covid may have changed how St Rocco’s operated at times – such as families having to see loved ones with ‘window visits’ – but what never changed at the hospice is that devotion to helping people.

Sonya said: “We are a healthcare organisation and it is about making sure we keep our patients, their relatives and our staff safe. We recognise how important that is.

“It has been important to everyone during the crisis but I think in this environment it is hugely important and the team have pulled the stops out to always keep that in mind while considering the needs of patients and their loved ones.”