“I love being with patients -it doesn’t feel like a job!”

Lesley is a highly experienced nurse, with a career spanning nearly four decades in oncology and chemotherapy. She says she has now found her ideal role as a specialist chemotherapy nurse at Sciensus. 

Lesley calls the one-to-one care she provides at Sciensus ‘gold standard care’. She explains that having a job where she can offer this individual attention to each patient is the main reason why she loves her role. 

“Sciensus nurses are there with patients nonstop when they’re having the treatment,” explains Lesley. “What better care could you wish for? It’s what every patient deserves.” 

Putting patients at ease

“I’ve only ever heard patients say that they feel reassured and secure with their treatment,” says Lesley. “They are always happy with the chemotherapy nurses caring for them.” 

Lesley often notices that, because she is treating patients in their own home, they feel more able to relax with their own belongings around them. 

“Being at home enables patients to open up and talk about anything as they’re in their own private domain. By the end of the treatment, they tend to feel more like friends, so it’s not just treatment on a clinical basis.” 

In her long career, Lesley has worked in different settings, including the NHS, private hospitals and private healthcare, and in a range of roles, including being a clinical nurse specialist (CNS). While she’s enjoyed all these different areas of nursing, she says that her main passion is in providing direct care to patients, in their own homes. 

“My deepest love is being there with the patient during the care and that’s where I want to stay. If I’m honest, it doesn’t feel like a job! I never have two days the same and it’s so rewarding.” 

Team bonding

At Sciensus, Lesley especially appreciates the effort that goes into building the team bonds between nurses. She explains that everyone is put into a team of around six nurses, with a senior clinical services manager (CSM) who manages the team and provides ongoing support. 

“I’m in Team 20, and we’re the best team ever – but I’m sure that all teams say that!” Lesley laughs. “But we really are a great team – we all get on with each other and check in with each other between visits to ask, ‘How are you doing today?’” 

They also have a ‘team call’ every week, which gives them time to touch base as a team and offer each other feedback and support.