Meet Jane, our Clinical Governance & Quality Team Leader

Jane shares “I have worked in children’s palliative care as a Nurse since 2000 and came to Demelza following their merge with James House, a charity established in East Sussex. Since joining Demelza, I have met many amazing colleagues along the way – I’ve learnt a lot in this time, not only from my colleagues and studying, but also from the children and their families. 

“In 2017 I became a Palliative Care Nurse Advisor within our Community Team, still continuing to carry a small case load, whilst moving more into education and supporting workstreams through the Governance team. 

“After 38-years of being a Clinical Nurse I decided it was time to slow down and semi-retire in 2019. I was given the choice between two roles – Clinical or Governance – it was a tough choice at the time, but having worked my fair share of ‘on call’ shifts, being out in the small hours of the night and the early hours of the morning, I opted for my current role, within the Governance Team. 

“I miss working directly alongside the families and children and it was such a privilege to walk part of their journey with them. It’s a strange thing to say about my career, but I didn’t seek palliative care, it found me! I’m truly lucky to work for an organisation that matches my values and beliefs when it comes to remaining family focussed.” 

What does a Clinical Governance & Quality Team Leader do? 

Talking us through her current role, Jane explains: “My role covers many elements of Governance, in relation to the management of annual clinical audit plans; overseeing and reviewing policies and procedures to ensure Demelza follows the most up to date legislation, governing body requirements and evidence-based practices. There’s quite a lot of research involved to ensure the delivery of safe and effective care for the children and families we support.  

"I have a lot of involvement in supporting the process of incident reporting to ensure we learn from these events. This is also reflected in the delivery of our training sessions, which also remain receptive to the changing needs of the children and their families. 

“I’m a huge advocate for professional development, to help future proof the organisation and to uphold a safe and responsive service.”  

A day in the life of our Clinical Governance & Quality Team Leader 

“A typical day at Demelza may see me collating audit results, information and action plans in readiness for our quarterly Clinical Committee meetings, reviewing Datix (our incident reporting system), or networking with other Governance Team’s from across the country. 

“Supporting personal development is a large part of my role within the Governance Team, so I’ll always be looking for opportunities for clinical supervision and more in-depth educational support – I’ll also support with the delivery of various training session across our hospices in Kent, South East London and East Sussex.” 

Jane’s highlights 

We asked Jane what she enjoys the most about her role at Demelza, to which she enthusiastically responded: “This is an easy one! I enjoy supporting and watching staff grow and develop; whether that’s through education or being a role model to my colleagues.  

You never stop learning and experience is a key part of being a professional, so this is where I am now – still learning, but sharing a wealth of knowledge and experience. It’s like you do part of the journey and then hand it over for the next chapter to begin.” 

Join our nursing team 

We’re recruiting for Registered Nurses and other healthcare professionals to join our team, with opportunities to work in our hospices in Kent and South East London or our community teams in Kent, South East London or East Sussex.