Get to know…. Dr Narmadha Kali Vanan

We sat down with Dr Narmadha Kali Vanan who took time out of her busy day to share a little about her role at Ardgowan Hospice.

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Narmadha joined the Hospice team in August this year as a Specialty Doctor in Palliative Medicine.

Dr Kali Vanan has a background in Internal Medicine, coming to Ardgowan from NHS Lanarkshire where she was a Junior Doctor and brings her experience of caring for acutely unwell patients to the hospice.

While each day at the hospice is unique and different to the last, an average day for Dr Kali Vanan can look like this:

The day begins with handover. She will then walk through the In-Patient Unit (IPU), checking in on current patients.

Next comes referrals. These can come from all sorts of places. They may come from local GPs, hospitals or out in the community.

To learn more about how to make a referral at Ardgowan Hospice, click here.

Part of Dr Kali Vanan’s job is to then figure out how best to support these new Ardgowan Hospice patients. Will it be home visits from the Ardgowan Community Nurse Specialists (ACNS) or the Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANP). Or perhaps they would benefit from a stay in Ardgowan’s IPU where Narmadha can provide practical hands-on care along with the Ward nursing team.

For any of the referrals that do require time in our IPU, Dr Kali Vanan will sit down with the patients as well as their families and carers, and get to know them and their needs, finding out what is important to them during their stay.

Each day presents a wide range of symptoms and illnesses to contend with.

“Non-malignant referrals are becoming a big part of the job. There’s a common misconception that hospice care is just for people living with cancer, whereas we may see patients with conditions such as heart, liver and renal failure, neurological conditions such as MND, respiratory conditions such as COPD and more.”

“Therefore it’s important that people know they can get in touch at any time – not just ‘at the end’ as it’s often perceived. There are many ways Ardgowan Hospice can support people in their illness journey. In fact, around 60% of patients are discharged from our In-Patient Unit.”

When not providing care on the Ward itself, Dr Kali Vanan may be found supporting the community nurse teams at the hospice or liaising closely with the IRH palliative team.

If you would like to learn more about the work carried out by Specialty Doctors at Ardgowan Hospice, contact info@ardhosp.co.uk.