18 Dec 2020 Care

Auxiliary Nurse Jayne Taylor goes the extra mile to support patients

When a patient is admitted onto our In-Patient Unit, our teams go above and beyond to make sure they are as comfortable and relaxed as possible. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March meant many of our volunteers were no longer able to offer their amazing support. Among these volunteers was a hardworking Hairdresser. But with a skilled background in Hairdressing, Auxiliary Nurse Jayne Taylor stepped in to help.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit the UK back in March, we unfortunately had to say a temporary goodbye to our team of volunteers - many of whom spent their time making a huge difference on our In-Patient Unit.

Our amazing volunteer Hairdresser was among those unable to donate her time over the last 10 months. But rather than stop offering a service that makes a huge difference to the wellbeing of many patients, Auxiliary Nurse, Jayne Taylor, stepped in to make sure patients continued to receive a pamper during their stay.

Jayne has been working with The Kirkwood as an Auxiliary Nurse on our In-Patient Unit since the start of 2020, but before her career in health and social care she ran a very successful business in the hairdressing world.

Jayne said: “From the age of 14 I worked in hairdressing, I was committed to the craft and became very innovative with it. I strived to gain a good reputation. It took me five years to qualify, which I now call old school training as it was so methodical.

“I was developing my career in the days of Vidal Sassoon, a successful British hair-stylist, and I went on to do teaching and assessments which led me into joining international colour companies as a technician. I travelled the length and breadth of the country and became a very successful businesswoman with a well-known reputation.

“But in 2009 and 2010, I lost both my parents. This was a huge grief in my life. Being a single mum, running a business and caring for my parents took its toll. I was involved in all of their care and as I got more involved with their end of life care, something in my heart was stirring. I felt like it was a calling, the feeling wouldn’t let go and it knocked on the door of my heart every day.

“I eventually sold my business and went to study health and social care at Barnsley College. I then commuted to Harrogate to work with specialist dementia patients to qualify as a level 3 in dementia care. I worked and studied different aspects of care throughout my training but my aim and goal was to study end of life care and work in a hospice.

“My desire was to work in a hospice purely for the high standard of care. It has been an absolute privilege to serve in palliative care at The Kirkwood. I have nearly achieved my first year with The Kirkwood and I feel accepted into The Kirkwood family. The team I work with is absolutely amazing, their hearts are like shining lights and I am proud to work alongside their skills, kindness and patience.”

As an Auxiliary Nurse on our In-Patient Unit, Jayne works alongside our nurses to provide care to patients on the In-Patient Unit and over the last few months, has been able to combine her skills and passion to support patients more than ever before.

“My hairdressing skills have been a gift on the In-Patient Unit, a way for me to offer an extension of my care to patients. We all know that getting our hair done lifts our spirits, it’s a holistic therapy for our patients.

“But to do any job right you need the right tools and resources. As we didn’t have any equipment on the unit I reached out to Simon Shaw, a global artistic director of WAHL professional hair clippers, to see if he could help us in any way.

“I worked alongside Simon in my early years of hairdressing, teaching the next generation of stylists, and Simon went on to platform work and travelled the world before becoming the artistic director for WAHL.

“Simon very kindly donated two pairs of hair clippers which help me with the service to our patients and now I am able to offer a moment of relaxation with a haircut.”