Children's Hospice Week 2025 - Tori Fenlon

As we continue to celebrate Children’s Hospice Week 2025, we are so grateful for our incredible team.

This is Tori Fenlon. Tori is one of our registered nurses, and started with us in September 2024, after completing her mental health nursing training.

What does a typical day look like in your role?
"Every day is different at Rebecca house! Normally I come in and check the phone and diary, get the keys and prepare for which children are due in that day. Depending on what children come in sometimes we might go out on the bus to various places like the wildlife park or for a walk. Sometimes we stay in and do activities like art and crafts, messy play and baking, either way it’s always a fun filled day with lots of laughs. We have a dream room which the children love filled with sensory toys so we spend a lot of time in there. Depending on the needs and care plans of the children they might have medications throughout the day or may need other interventions like personal care and PEG feeding. We often attend multi-disciplinary team meetings for the children to ensure they receive continuity of care. Sometimes children will stay overnight which would mean handing over about the day to night staff."

Why is what you do so beneficial to the children?
"In my experience the children really love coming to Rebecca House and often look forward to it. It means they have a safe space to just be kids and have fun whilst also receiving the care that they need. They also get to interact with other children who may be similar to them or have different needs which can be really beneficial."

How do you also support the families of the children?
"Family support is really important at Rebecca House and is provided in a number of ways. Staff are always available and ready to talk to family members when dropping off or collecting children from sessions and families are aware that they can contact Rebecca House at any time for support. Families can access therapies including psychological support and complementary therapy like massage treatments giving people time to decompress and relax. Rebecca house has a sibling group where the siblings of the children who attend Rebecca House get to come in around once a month and get to do fun activities and go on trips with other children living in similar circumstances. This gives the opportunity for lifelong friendships to be made. Emotional support is also offered to siblings and can be given by talking through their feelings with peers and staff in a non-judgemental way. We also do family and memory days which have received amazing feedback."

What’s the most fulfilling thing about working at Rebecca House?
"Definitely seeing the huge smiles on the children's faces when they come in and throughout the day and feeling like I’ve made a small difference. Being able to see how important respite is to Rebecca House families and how much it means to parents and siblings has also been amazing to be a part of. It really is the best job in the world and I feel extremely lucky!"