21 June 2026
Meet Adam
Adam is a Hospice Nurse at Noah’s Ark, working in the community. Adam has worked at Noah’s Ark since July 2025 and has been a nurse for five years. Adam’s background is Pediatric Intensive Care (PICU) and he previously worked on the High-Dependency Unit (HDU) at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), before moving to the private healthcare sector and then returning to GOSH.
Adam saw our recruitment publicity while at GOSH and thought of applying. He says: “The word ‘hospice’ does scare people and there is a stigma around it but there were a lot of children at GOSH that could have benefited from coming to a hospice like Noah’s Ark. That made me want to work somewhere that provided that type of holistic care.”
From Intensive Care to Palliative Care
Adam reflects on working on the PICU at GOSH. He says: “They can be quite sad places as you're looking after children that are critically unwell in hospital and you don't always get the best outcome. Sometimes you know where the situation is headed and it becomes a waiting game and it made me think, how can we facilitate a quality of life for this child?”
Adam talks about the curative nature of clinical settings. He says: “Intensive care is so focused on fixing problems and sometimes I think it's hard to acknowledge that you're not going to fix it and so how can we withdraw treatment but not care. We still need to facilitate that palliative end-of-life journey, so the child can still get the best out of whatever life they have left.”
Creating Space for Families
Adam goes on to talk about the benefits of a referral to a children’s palliative care setting. He says: “Hospitals are not always the right setting for a child to die, and it can even be hard to have those conversations with families as there is often so much noise and stress that parents can't always comprehend the information you're giving them. At Noah’s Ark, I can build rapport with families and take time to build trust and hold a safe space for them, the child and their siblings. It facilitates a better care journey, whatever the outcome may be.”
Supporting Every Stage of a Child’s Journey
Adam also reflects on the length and breadth of support that Noah’s Ark provides. He says: “Some children are considered palliative, but they will go on to live into their 20s and 30s, depending on the nature of their diagnosis and their condition and some children become end-of-life sooner than you anticipated. At Noah’s Ark we deliver wraparound care, wherever the family are in their journey.”
Changing Perceptions of Hospice Care
Adam goes on to talk about the understandable reluctance from some families to explore the idea of hospice care. He says: “Families can be resistant to the idea of hospice care but once they come to The Ark and have a look around and get to know us and what we offer, they're in awe of the place. You suddenly feel like they’re more actively engaged. When I do my assessments or clinical reviews I focus on what we can offer and what the child can do and how we can facilitate the best quality of life for them.”
It’s obvious from talking to Adam that he loves nursing. He explains: “It gives me purpose. Going home knowing that I’ve done something to support a family or a child makes me feel like I’ve made some small difference in the world.” Adam also loves working with children. He says: “You know very quickly with children if you’re doing something right or wrong. I love that children are just so honest. I feel like you learn a lot from them even without them directly saying things. A lot of our children are non-verbal and use communication devices, so you quickly have to read their non-verbal cues. I love that aspect of the job.”
Strengthening Partnerships with GOSH
Adam has recently been appointed to the Noah’s Ark’s palliative care outreach role at GOSH. He says: “I'll do one day a week there working with the palliative care team to continue building that working relationship as a lot of our children are managed by GOSH under their various specialisms. While there, I can encourage referrals and help to clinically manage and symptom manage each child, whether that be at home or at The Ark.”
Focusing on Quality of Life
Adam is sure he has made the right decision to work in children’s palliative care. He says:
“Our focus at Noah’s Ark is not on the length of a child’s life, it’s about making the most of that life.”
Find out more about our Clinical Care services here.
