As part of the Beaumond House Hospice at Home team, Nicki, Bobby, and Teagan travel hundreds of miles each week bringing compassionate care directly to patients' doorsteps.
In this article, we explore a day in the life of the team, the qualities that matter most and the unexpected challenges they face.
And there's an aspect of their role that rarely gets discussed - the vehicles that make it all possible.
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When you're covering over 1,000 miles a week on rural roads, your car becomes more than just transportation. It's your mobile office, a refuge between visits, and an essential tool in providing care. Here, we look at how Motorfinity can help to support community health workers who dedicate their lives to caring for others.
Join us as we step into their world where compassion meets the open road, and where every mile driven represents someone receiving the gift of comfort, dignity, and peace.
Nicki
Every morning, before dawn breaks across the countryside, Nicki Fenton is already planning her route. She's not just checking patient records, she's calculating miles, mentally mapping out the quickest paths through morning traffic, and anticipating another week covering over 1,000 miles.
More than just a healthcare professional
Nicki joined the hospice from a nursing background, having taken time off to raise her family before returning to her calling. Now, as part of a team of eight, she works tirelessly to enable her patients to spend their final days at home, in familiar surroundings, surrounded by love.
The 8-8 shift: Her journey of care in the community
Nicki’s day starts the moment she turns the ignition key, leaving home ahead of schedule to avoid traffic.
Once at the office, she checks patient records for anything significant before the day's visits begin.
Then it's back on the road. Personal care visits, comfort checks, making patients feel dignified and at peace.
After morning rounds, it's back to the office to update notes and then out again for lunchtime visits.
The afternoon brings what Nicki calls 'sitting duties'. Time to chat with patients, sometimes give manicures, or make that all-important cup of tea.
Hospice care isn't just about medical care; it's about giving family members time off. Time not to be a carer. Time to rest, time for self-care, time to simply breathe.
"Giving time to the carer NOT to be a carer."
Evening visits mean settling patients for the night. And for the night shift workers on the 10-7 rotation, it means being there through the darkness, providing that much-needed break for carers to attempt a good night's sleep, knowing their loved one is in safe hands.
"I’m happy in my job. It’s a privilege to work here. It’s friendly and very well respected in the local community."
Bobby
Bobby's enthusiasm is infectious when she talks about her work. Coming from a background in childcare and retail, she wanted something new, something meaningful. She found her calling in her Hospice at Home role.
She sums up the essential qualities in just three words - empathy, kindness, and listening.
"Going into homes, we are working in their space, in their safe area. We are stepping into someone's life with pictures, trophies, opening up communication."
The team is clear: Don't be put off by the word 'hospice.'
This is about life, even at the end of life.
It's patient-led care, focused on creating the best possible ending. The end of life they wished for.
Beaumond House is at the heart of Newark and has been for a long time but there is still a misconception that it’s all about cancer – it’s not, so more education is needed.
It's not about sadness. There's laughter. Joy. Connection.
Teagan
Teagan moved to Beaumond House Hospice Care from a hospital setting. She worked in the Oncology ward at Lincoln.
Like Nicki and Teagan, she is passionate about her work:
"No two days are the same. You never know what you are walking into."
Teagan finds the emotional side of her work easier in the hospice setting with colleagues able to talk about the challenges and have the freedom to speak openly about how you feel.
What makes it all worthwhile?
Find out more about The Teapot Group
Beaumond House offers 'active grieving' support, checking in after a patient passes. For couples who've been together 60+ years, the fear of loss is overwhelming. The Teapot Group ensures that after the initial rush of visitors subsides, families aren't left alone.
More than just a car - the hard reality
For community health workers, their personal vehicle isn't just transportation - it's an essential medical tool. It's their mobile office. It's their decompression chamber between difficult visits.
But here's the challenge that healthcare systems don't often acknowledge:
- Over 1,000 miles per week on personal vehicles
- Breakdowns on dark country lanes
- Pothole damage adding to maintenance costs
- Constant traffic delays affecting care schedules
- Wear and tear that fuel allowances don't cover
The irony isn't lost on anyone. District nurses historically used bicycles. But with the areas they now cover and the volume of traffic on roads, it's neither viable nor safe. These workers save the NHS enormous amounts, enabling home-based care instead of hospital stays, but they bear the financial burden of vehicle depreciation, maintenance, and unexpected breakdowns.
And when they're dealing with the emotional weight of supporting families through loss, the last thing they need is car trouble adding to their stress.
How Motorfinity supports the journey
Motorfinity understands.
Community health workers’ vehicles are part of the essential healthcare infrastructure. That's why Motorfinity has developed specific benefits designed to ease the burden on healthcare professionals.
When your car is literally your bread and butter, when it's your comfort zone between emotionally demanding visits, when a breakdown doesn't just mean inconvenience but potentially compromised patient care, having access to better vehicle options become critical.
Motorfinity's specialised programmes for NHS and healthcare workers recognise this reality. From accessible vehicle leasing options to guidance on mileage allowances, they're committed to ensuring that the people who care for our most vulnerable have reliable, cost-effective transportation.
When Nicki, Bobby, and Teagan leave home each morning, they shouldn't have to worry whether their car will make it through another 1,000-mile week. They have more important things on their minds.
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