Looking forward to a very special day
 For
Margaret Robertson — and families all across the west of
Scotland — that day next summer when Robin House welcomes its
first visitor will be very special.
Margaret has been appointed head of care at the new hospice and although she knows there is plenty of work to do before opening, that day can’t come soon enough.
“I can’t wait. It will be a tremendous day. I just hope we won’t have forgotten anything!” she laughed.
That’s not very likely at all. Margaret has spent 25 years preparing for the day Robin House opens and both she and the hospice will be more than ready.
The 42-year-old from Airdrie — who is married to Alan with two children, Lynsey (9) and Callum (7) — began her nursing career just a year after leaving school and always had her heart set on working in paediatrics.
Drawn to me
“I’d always enjoyed working with children,” she explained. “They were drawn to me and me to them. It was an environment I was comfortable in. I also found myself drawn to children with disabilities.
“I started at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill in 1979 and then spent 11 happy years at Mavis Bank school in Airdrie. It was there that I saw how families with children with life-limiting conditions had to struggle. I developed such an admiration for the parents and how they coped.”
In 1999 Margaret became one of Scotland’s first “Diana nurses”, the community nurses trained to help children with life-threatening illnesses. After graduating with a BSc she was able to carry out a needs assessment for families with life-limiting conditions in the Lanarkshire area.
Inevitably perhaps, her career path led her to Rachel House and in October of last year she took up the post of deputy head of care at the hospice.
“I think it was probably inevitable. It just felt right. I can honestly say it was a dream come true when I went to Rachel House and it has been everything I dreamed it would be.
“Of course it can be emotionally draining, but everyone looks after each other. There is such excellent organisation and they are very supportive of the staff. It’s a wonderful place.”
Wonderful
Margaret knows the job of ensuring that Robin House is equally wonderful will fall on her shoulders, but she isn’t afraid of the responsibility.
“Rachel House is such a happy place because of the atmosphere created by the families and the staff and we must recreate that feeling here. It’s a daunting task but I am confident we’ll do it. We have a great foundation at Rachel House and a wealth of knowledge and experience to tap into there.
“Andrea Cail — head of care at Rachel House — and I will work hand in hand. It’s reassuring to know she’s on the end of a phone if I need her.
“At the end of the day it is all about the children, about life and laughter. We have to create a place not just where people laugh but where they know it is okay to laugh. I’m sure we can do that.”
Margaret admits she is going to find it difficult to leave Rachel House after building strong relations with staff and families alike, but says the opportunity to work in the new hospice was too great to resist.
“It will be an emotional tear to leave but I knew it was a chance I couldn’t pass up. Being in at the start here is so exciting and I’d have hated to miss out on that. There are so many people I’ll miss, but I’ll be back often.”
I
asked Margaret if there were any children in particular she’d miss when she left Kinross and after a pause she said no. However something in her eyes told me that wasn’t quite true and when I asked again she laughed and admitted there were some she was really close to.
Thoughtfulness
“I couldn’t say who, though, because I’d hate parents to think I thought their child was anything less than special just because I was particularly fond of another. That wouldn’t be fair or true. They are all special to me.”
That’s the kind of attitude and thoughtfulness that’s going to stand Margaret and the new hospice in good stead.
“Work like this can take its toll, but I get much more from it than it gets from me,” she says modestly. “Even on the worst days, if you know you’ve done all you can, if you know you have made a difference, then it’s all worthwhile.”
Margaret and her colleagues have undoubtedly made a difference for so many families and that’s going to continue in
Balloch.
All of you who have done so much to make the new hospice a reality can rest assured that Robin House will be in good hands. |
You can e-mail us at:
hospice@sundaypost.com
|
Margaret looks over the building site of the new hospice at
Balloch.
