3 May 2024 Community

The Kirkwood Spotlight: Sarah Turner

The Kirkwood looks to celebrate and promote its hard-working staff whenever it can. As a charity, we are keen to say thanks to how hard staff work and shine a spotlight on them when we are able to. 

One staff member who has been promoted in her own role recently but is looking to expand into other areas of the hospice is Sarah Turner. 

Sarah has worked for The Kirkwood for the last two and half years and has gone from being a receptionist to now being a reception supervisor. Sarah is proud to work for our organisation and has quickly been promoted in her role after showing she has the drive, determination and skill set to move towards a more advanced role within the charity. 

On working for The Kirkwood, Sarah said: “I've been with The Kirkwood for two and a half years now. I started as a receptionist and I've stepped up to become a reception supervisor. 

“I now look after all the staff on reception and the bank staff, and I look after all the volunteers on reception.

“I love working for a charity. I love the work that The Kirkwood do and what we stand for.

“It's great to be part of the team I didn’t realise how much The Kirkwood actually do in terms of not just being a hospice in Dalton but the fact we do a lot more in the community than just look after the patients on the In-Patient Unit. I find it really rewarding to work here.” 

Sarah really enjoys the current team she manages on reception and is pleased she was given the opportunity to be promoted in her role. 

She said: “We're a great team on reception, we all get on really well and work well together, and it's really good to have such a good team to work with.

“As a team I think we are very important, because we are the first people a visitor or patient sees therefore we have to give that person a good first impression of The Kirkwood. We set that initial standard we are proud to have as a charity." 

“I was pleased to be promoted because it was a good progression opportunity within the charity. I like to do something different each day and learn new things.

“I have been a manager before in my previous role, so I like the challenges of it and I just like working with the kirkwood team and getting to know everybody.

“I believe the experiences that I've had in dealing with people and the fact I've worked in a customer service role means that I'm comfortable dealing with people on a daily basis.” 

Sarah says she's happy in the position she has at the moment. However she does hope to progress further into other areas of the hospice when the time is right and she feels ready to. 

On this she said: “I'm happy where I am at the moment, but I would like to progress further within the charity.

“I've already helped out in the HR department and I'm going to be helping out with the In-Patient Unit admin team as well.

“I'm excited about the future of The Kirkwood and how I can progress my own career within the organisation.”