| Margaret Ellam |
 Margaret qualified as a doctor in1970 and subsequently spent 16 years in anaesthetics. Her husband then moved his employment
to Cornwall and there were no anaesthetic vacancies. She was locum for several years, but was searching for something more
rewarding. She found Richard Lamerton's book "Care of the dying' and heard Cicely Saunders on Radio 4 at about the same time.
She was impressed and went to visit her local hospice, Mount Edgcumbe Hospice, and began a part time clinical assistant post
in 1985. The hospice there was undergoing a fresh start under John Williams. She started learning palliative medicine, and
found it more rewarding than anaesthetics. She likes the team work and greater co-operation between staff, as well as getting
to know the patient and their family. She did a diploma in geriatric medicine to refresh her general medical skills. In 1994
her husband was made redundant and she found a full time job as Clinical Assistant in St. John's hospice, Lancaster. She was
responsible for running the hospice Monday to Friday. She talked about how palliative care has developed over the years and
the growth of specialist palliative care. In 1996 she became the first consultant in palliative care at St. John's. Margaret
talked about the ad hoc development of hospices and how everyone 'invented' palliative care simultaneously in the 1980s. She
discussed the different religious bases of the two hospices she has worked in. She described how her relationship with patients
has changed over the years, mainly that she sees them in many different settings now. She wants to develop more outreach so
that she also sees them in their homes. The multidisciplinary team is bigger now and increases the possibilities of what they
can do. She talked about the challenges over the years of getting specialist palliative care accepted, especially by GPs.
There have also been tensions in carrying the trustees of hospices forward with the changing philosophy of palliative care.
Within the team there may also be clashes as people are very committed, but may have different approaches. There needs to
be good communication. In the future she would like to do more educating of the primary health care team, and to develop a
domicilliary service. She plans to stay at St. Johns until her retirement.
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| Interview conducted by Sara Morris, 11 May 2001 |
| Interview Duration: 41 minutes |
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