A hospice nurse who has devoted her career to caring for people at the end of their lives has been awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours.
Kiera Jones, a Soul Midwife at Skanda Vale Hospice near Carmarthen, says the recognition left her stunned.
“I was incredulous when I first received the letter — I think I read it about three times to be sure that I hadn’t misunderstood,” she said.
“It is starting to sink in now, and I have been overwhelmed by the messages and posts and the beautiful things that people have said.”
Mrs Jones has been recognised for services to palliative care.
A Soul Midwife provides non-medical emotional and spiritual support to people who are dying, alongside the clinical care they receive — sitting with them, easing fear, and helping them face the end of life with comfort and dignity.
Mrs Jones said the honour reflected the work of the whole hospice, not just her own.
“It is an honour to be awarded this, both for my role as a Soul Midwife and also, for me, it is a recognition of the work of the whole team at Skanda Vale Hospice,” she said.
“It is only by working together and supporting each other that we are able to achieve what we do.”
She has worked at the hospice for 10 years, but her commitment to palliative care goes back far further.
“I have had a passion for palliative care since my second year as a student nurse on placement with the district nursing team, 24 years ago,” she said. “I later became a Soul Midwife, supporting people at the end of life. I love what I do — it’s as simple as that, really.”
Her work has been recognised before. Last year she received an award from the Royal College of Nursing in Wales, and she has raised around £13,000 for the hospice.
She is also known for the hospice’s “Elephant in the Room” events, which encourage open conversations about death and dying — subjects many people find difficult to broach.
Skanda Vale Hospice, near Llanpumsaint, provides free day and respite care to people with life-limiting illnesses across west Wales, supported largely by donations.
Mrs Jones is one of more than a dozen people from across Swansea Bay and Carmarthenshire recognised in this year’s honours — with the full local list in our round-up.
