A highly regarded medical consultant has celebrated his 15^th anniversary of caring for palliative patients at Cynthia Spencer Hospice.

Dr Bhavyang Acharya, known affectionately by his patients as Dr Bhav, is renowned not just for his incredible care and compassion but also for the way he goes above and beyond for patients, visiting them at home or in local care homes and arranging special experiences for them to ensure they live life to the full to the very end.

The Palliative Medicine Consultant said: “Rather than focusing on the aspect of dying, I like to focus on the living. By that I mean that we can’t change the unchangeable, though we simply need to continue to do what we can and most importantly ‘be’ with the person. The person is still very much valued and loved even though they are experiencing something tragic. Hope is very important. Where I can, I try to give patients hope for something to look forward to.”

Dr Bhav’s philosophy comes from his parents. His father always wanted to become a doctor in India, but he couldn’t afford not to work and so wasn’t able to train. Dr Bhav now feels it is a privilege to be able to make a difference in the profession that his father dreamed of being a part of.

“One thing my father said to me that has stayed with me,” said Dr Bhav, “Is that whether you are spiritual or religious, if you don’t have the time to do your prayers, you can offer help or be of service to those you help and care for. That is just as good. Treat people in your care as if you are worshipping God.”

Dr Bhav takes that mantra into every day, across the county, whether that be at Cynthia Spencer Hospice, in family homes or visiting those in need at Daventry Community Hospital. He is well loved by all and has been described as “one in a million”.

“What I do doesn’t feel like going above and beyond, although it is nice that people think that and feel well cared for,” he said.

“It is a privilege for me to get to know people and their families and be welcomed into their homes. It doesn’t escape me that I am made to feel so welcome by families at a time when they are feeling vulnerable and scared.

“Our chaplain at Cynthia Spencer Hospice (Father Gerard O’Flaherty)  often used to say something I will always remember. “We are not human doings, we are human beings”. We need to ‘be’ with patients on their journey of life, providing company, comfort and support on their journey.”

The ethos is something that he finds in all his colleagues at the hospice and Dr Bhav genuinely looks forward to going to work with likeminded professionals.

“I am lucky to work with lots of lovely people,” he said. “Everybody has a ‘can do’ attitude and wants to help.

“People ask me what CSH stands for, and it is Cynthia Spencer Hospice, but for me CSH is also C for Compassion, S for sensitivity and Service and H, the most important for me, is to give people some Hope.

“When they arrive here, people sometimes feel that they’re in a hopeless situation, but I hope that with the whole team at the hospice we create an environment that is peaceful and calming for a person to ensure that they’re able to receive the comfort and care that they need.”

To find out more about Cynthia Spencer Hospice’s work and how you can help support such a fantastic cause, visit https://cynthiaspencer.org.uk/