Trish has been a dedicated member of the Hospice West Auckland team for an incredible nineteen years. As Clinical Community Liaison Manager, she manages the Poi (Palliative Outcomes Initiative) team, supporting community providers such as GPs, Practice Nurses, residential care providers and clinicians to provide the best possible palliative care to the community. The busy role also uses her social worker training and experience to work with people who are not under Hospice care and their whānau to plan for the future and support quality of life. “I go out and connect with groups who have not traditionally engaged with Hospice, or who don’t know about the services we provide, or who face access barriers, inequity issues, or other challenges,” she says. “I tell them: ‘This service is available, and it’s for you. We can walk alongside you on this journey.’”
Trish’s personal experience of losing a parent as a teenager highlights the huge impact that Hospice’s multidisciplinary, holistic care makes to families. “I wish we had access to that when I was 18, it would have made a huge difference,” she says. “I really believe that the more we do to support families holistically – before the death of the loved one, during the time, and after – is going to positively impact their experience.”
Trish loves being part of a team of dedicated practitioners with different expertise and approaches to palliative care. “We have a big team of people, including medical, pharmacy, social work, counselling, spiritual care, cultural support, physiotherapy, art therapy, and volunteers,” she says. “All of that comes together to look at the needs of the person and the family.”
There are many misconceptions and myths about Hospice – something that Trish and her team work hard to address with individuals, community groups and organisations. “We have to keep educating,” she says. “There’s a big misunderstanding that if you’re going to have Hospice help for your mum, for example, it means we’re going to take her away. There isn’t always the awareness that we actually come to you, and we will be alongside you in whatever way you need. We’re not here to overtake your family, cultural, or spiritual values.”
Trish was the recipient of the Hospice West Auckland inaugural CEO Excellence Award in 2024, which recognises one employee each year who has demonstrated an outstanding contribution to our service. “As our longest serving employee, Trish has been a tireless champion of Hospice West Auckland and excellence in holistic palliative care,” says Cathy Read, GM People and Culture. “She is widely known in our West Auckland community for her ability to connect with people, to raise awareness of Hospice services, and develop palliative care capability for the benefit of our patients. Trish is an inspiration and passionate advocate for patients and families to receive the best possible palliative care in the West.”
For Trish, working at Hospice West Auckland isn’t a job, it’s a calling: “It’s what we need to do, and it’s a privilege to work with others who feel the same way. Working for hospice, to me, is about service to my community.”
