CHRISTINA Lovell has a beaming smile that never fails to spread happiness wherever she goes.

The staff nurse coordinator, who has been working at the hospice for just over a year, looks at me with kind eyes as she explains why she loves her job.

Differences between Sobell and other hospitals she has worked at include the atmosphere, which she says is much calmer than the "fast pace" she has experienced elsewhere.

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She said: "It’s so peaceful and tranquil here. We offer lots of different therapies, and they make it easier not only for the patients but their families as well."

The role of the ward staff might involve holding someone's hand as they take their last breath, or cleaning up after their condition has inflicted them with sickness.

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But nurse Lovell, who discusses illness without using intimidating phrases or clinical language, does not seem at all fazed by those finer details of her day-to-day work.

She says: "It’s an absolute honour to look after somebody at the end of their life. We achieve such amazing stuff, we get people back home when we can. It’s really important to be able to look after and comfort them."

The hospice values the important role of ward volunteers, who are able to give patients time and attention when staff nurses cannot.

She says: "Our volunteers are absolutely amazing, we wouldn’t be able to do all these extra things without them. They go from situations on the desks to driving or pushing round the alcohol trolley."

Ever-alert to anyone who needs her assistance, her gaze flickers to a colleague who wants help changing bedsheets in preparation for a new ward patient.

Before going to her aid she adds: "I think we all feel quite privileged to work in the hospice."