Unlock your extraordinary
Mercia Spare, Chief Nursing Officer

There’s ‘extraordinary’ all around us. While we might not always notice it amidst the routine of work and home life, it’s there, in the people we work with and those we care for.

Sometimes, it catches you off guard.

It was one such moment for me, during a meeting with fellow NHS professional, Caroline Dove, who is the Chief Executive of NHS Elect. In the meeting, Caroline told me about her extraordinary niece, Evie Dove.

She described how Evie had been a happy, kind and caring girl, who, in March 2022, tragically lost her battle with brain cancer at just 13-years-old.

During her treatment, Evie received love and expert care from the teams at King’s College Hospital, the Royal Marsden Hospital, and locally, at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) hospital in Margate. Towards the end of Evie’s life, Caroline told me ‘a lovely team’ of our children’s community nurses helped her spend her final weeks at home with her family.

The family said one healthcare assistant, Cuba Parris, made a huge difference to the family, showing kindness and professionalism in difficult times during visits to the Royal Marsden Hospital. So, in Evie’s honour, her family set up the Evie Dove Foundation to sponsor and support the further education of young medical professionals in paediatric care to go on and help thousands of children in the future and save many lives.

Cuba himself was the first successful applicant to The Evie Dove Foundation. He has gone on to study for his medical doctorate at the University of Sheffield, where the foundation has helped cover his living and accommodation expenses.

The foundation wants to support many more NHS professionals to work with sick children, all in honour of amazing Evie. I urge any of you who work with children, or want to further a career in paediatrics, to have a look at the website, check the funding criteria and apply.

I recently spent time with our children’s team, who cared for Evie at the end of her life, and I was so inspired by their compassion and professionalism. Caring for children with life-limiting conditions is not easy and it takes a very special kind of person to choose it as a career. It requires great resilience and confidence to balance the emotional demands, with the strength to bring your best self to work. I think that is their extraordinary.

As a trust, we offer many ways to help you unlock your extraordinary, including apprenticeships, training and development opportunities. Take a look at our career opportunities to find out more.

Remember, extraordinary is all around us and we all have the potential to do extraordinary things.