Team Category: Team

Michele has been a Staff Nurse for over 30 years.

Following completing the Marie Curie Cancer Care Diploma, Michele trained in Aromatherapy, Reflexology and Indian Head Massage and combined her nursing role with complementary therapies and has been employed as the Nurse Therapist at Northern Ireland Hospice for 15 years.

Michele was elected on to NACTHPC Committee as Northern Ireland Liasion in 2008, Minutes Secretary in 2009 and Conference Coordinator in 2015.

Michele has been the Chair for NACTHPC since January 2017, a role which she has enjoyed and which has enabled her to recognise the important work and support that Complementary Therapists can offer, especially to patients and families at the end of life.

Jemima successfully gained her BSc (Hons) in Complementary Therapies in 2008, specialising in Reflexology.

Having developed a particular interest in the effect of Reflexology in improving patients quality of life, she then volunteered weekly at her local hospice in the Midlands for two years in their day unit, providing treatments to patients with different life limiting illnesses which she found to be exceptionally rewarding.

Jemima has been employed as Complementary Therapy Coordinator for the NHS in West Sussex since 2011, developing and implementing the service and providing access to a range of therapies for anyone affected by cancer. Jemima also had the opportunity of developing and teaching the course ‘Adapting Therapies for Use in Cancer Care’ from 2012-2013 at another local hospice, before raising her young family.

Jemima has additional qualifications in Aromatherapy, IHM, Lymphatic Massage and Ear Candling. Jemima joined the NACTHPC Committee in 2019 as Vice-Chair and Minutes Secretary.

Julie qualified as a complementary therapist in 2011 after completing a Foundation Degree course in Health and Complementary Therapies with Worcester University. Practice placement during the course was at Primrose Hospice and after seeing the benefits of complementary therapies for the clients and patients Julie volunteered at the hospice, after she qualified, for 7 years. In 2018 Julie gained employment at the hospice as the Complementary Therapy coordinator.

Since qualifying Julie has run her own private practice offering complementary therapies which include reflexology, aromatherapy, reiki and hot stones massage.

Julie joined the committee in 2017 as Treasurer and later took on the role of Membership administrator as well. She joined at a time when the committee was struggling to get members because she was passionate about the good work that the association do and wanted to ensure the continuation of the association in providing support and promotion of the work that complementary therapists do within hospices.

A highly experienced and Award Winning Clinical Complementary Therapist with almost 15 years’ experience working in Oncology; 13 years within Cancer Care at Velindre Cancer Centre in Wales.

Angela was also responsible for the implementation and management of the complementary therapy team and department and was instrumental in the development of the cancer centre as a centre of excellence for education, both in the development and delivery of clinical complementary therapy courses and facilitating external courses to qualified therapists. This included the development of the award winning Foundation in Complementary Therapies course accredited at Level 4, which won the Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT) Excellence in Practice Award in 2013.

Angela has been invited to lecture at many conferences both nationally and internationally, including being invited to speak at The House of Commons to the All-Party Parliamentary Committee for Integrated Health in October 2016.

Angela currently runs her Complementary Therapy practice, offering a range of therapies including Reflexology, Aromatherapy & Massage, Indian Head Massage, Clinical Reflexology & Aromatherapy for Cancer and Reflexology Lymph Drainage. Angela is passionate about supporting people using complementary therapies and believes that complementary therapies can have a hugely beneficial effect.

I have 24 years experience as a therapist and in healthcare, my qualifications include ITEC Beauty Therapy Level 2, Reflexology and Massage Level 3, Reiki 1 and 2, Indian Head Massage and an Aromatherapy and Essential Oil Science Diploma. I am also a qualified M Technique Practitioner and completed an Access Course in Nursing and Health.
Throughout my career I have gained a wealth of experience and knowledge as well as many CPD courses including Advanced Aromatherapy, and Reflexology, Hot Stone Massage, Facial Rejuvenation and Gua Sha Facial and Body Techniques.
My current role is as a Complementary Therapist at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital on an oncology and haematology ward, and throughout the hospital under the Palliative Care Team, an innovative new service at this hospital. Within this role myself and my colleagues provide evidence-based therapies to patients, carers, relatives and staff.
Part of my role at NNUH includes training volunteers in a new therapeutic hand massage CaLMS (Caring and Light Massage Support) developed by my colleague and to date we have trained 31 volunteers who are now able to visit patients across the hospital and support staff.

My name is Liesl Hopkins and I am a Complementary Therapist employed by St Richard’s Hospice, working in the Living Well Team. I originally joined St Richard’s as a Volunteer Therapist in October 2009, working in a voluntary capacity for 3½ years before being taken on as a staff member in January 2013 as Lead Complementary Therapist. In my current role I coordinate the Complementary Therapy Team offering a range of therapy treatments including Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Relaxation, Indian Head Massage, to name but a few. I am also a teacher tutor for the HEARTS process, a sensory therapeutic experience offered to people referred for complementary therapies – Hands-on, Empathy, Aromas, Relaxation, Textures and Sounds.

Janice is Complementary Therapy Coordinator at Kilbryde Hospice, South Lanarkshire.

Having started my career as a Beauty Therapist (from age 17 years), I went on to qualify in many complementary therapies, including Reflexology, Aromatherapy & Reiki level 1&2. I also completed Teacher Training courses including Cert-Ed (1999), and more recently qualified as a Counsellor (2019) with Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling.
To date, I have over 40 years’ experience working as a therapist, in various places and in various roles, including salon management, teaching, running my own businesses with private clients, and developing my own natural skincare range.
Within my role as complementary therapy coordinator over the past 10 years, this has given me a wealth of experience within oncology and palliative care. I have worked as a Complementary Therapy Coordinator (at the Priscilla Bacon Lodge -Specialist Palliative Care Unit, as part of the NCH&C Trust NHS for 9 years; and more recently from Jan 2024 moved into a similar role at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital Foundation Trust (NNUHFT) NHS. Managing a team of 2 therapists and volunteers this role whilst challenging, is exciting, innovative, and a first of its kind service for the hospital. As a team we work on the Mulbarton ward (oncology and haematology) and provide evidence-based therapies to patients, carers, relatives, and some staff. Our service is funded by the Norfolk & Norwich Hospitals Charity, however we work as part of the wider MDT and are employed by the NHS NNUH Trust.