Jess swaps sirens for calm of hospice care

LIFE as a paramedic was fast-paced, stressful and involved critical decisions every single day for Jess Timbrell.

- By JACKIE BUTLER

After several years of training and hands-on service on the road, she was both confident and qualified to respond in emergencies and make split-second choices to save people's lives. But something was missing."I always had an interest in palliative care," said Jess. "As a paramedic, you go out to a lot of people who are at the end of life, but you can't spend the time you want with them because emergency demand is so high.

"It was so disheartening sitting with someone in an ambulance queue outside the hospital for hours, knowing they didn't have long to live. And then when I did drop them off, I would never find out what happened to them."

Jess was proud to be a paramedic, first with South Western Ambulance Service and later working with a private company, but she was ready for a change of focus.

The turning point came after a very personal encounter with hospice care. Her dad, and "best friend", John Roberts was cared for at St Luke's specialist unit in May 2024. Jess immediately felt this was somewhere she could make a difference.

"Although it was a horrible time, my dad was really well cared for, and it was just a lovely place," she recalled. "I thought, if I can give that care to someone else and make them feel happy and relaxed, then that's what I will do."