Category: Hospice News

St Barnabas Hospice opens prize-winning garden to the wider public in September

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice’s award winning garden at their flagship Louth base will be open to visitors on Friday 30th September from 2.30pm until 4.30pm.

The garden, entitled Nature and Nurture, was donated by Caitlin McLaughlin the RHS Young Designer of the Year winner and combines green spaces for human health and wellbeing with nature conservation.

The garden was donated in memory of Caitlin’s friend, Jane McCarthy who was cared for by St Barnabas Hospice in her final days.

Caitlin said: “It is a real pleasure to be able to donate my show garden as a memorial garden for our dear family friend Jane. I really wanted to do something in her memory and to bring comfort to others in the hospice that may need a garden space to relax in.”

St Barnabas is the principal provider of end-of-life care across East Lindsey and has run Louth Hospice on Grimsby Road since it first opened its doors to clients more than two years ago.

Nicky Ingall, General Manager for St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“The Open Garden afternoon is a wonderful opportunity for people to visit the beautiful hospice garden and our excellent hospice facilities. Our tranquil hospice garden looks out over miles of open fields and is a cherished place that is enjoyed by our patients and their families.

“We are absolutely overjoyed that Caitlin generously chose to support our hospice with this amazing donation. Having access to outdoor space is really important to the health and wellbeing of our patients and studies show that it has therapeutic benefits and encourages relaxation.”

The Open garden afternoon will allow visitors the opportunity to meet staff and volunteers, tour the building and get to know more about the hospice services available.

Admissions to the garden is free. Light refreshments will be provided on the day and free onsite parking is available.

Louth Hospice is located on Grimsby Road LN11 0SX.

Caitlin McLaughlin took the gold medal in the Young Designer category

St Barnabas Hospice in Louth is set to receive a garden overhaul from RHS Young Designer winner

Local independent charity St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice is set to receive a donation of a garden which won the gold medal for the Young Designer of the Year award at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park.

The garden entitled ‘Nature and Nurture’ is set to be installed at the flagship day hospice in Louth and combines green spaces for human health and wellbeing with nature conservation.

Caitlin McLaughlin, 26, from Northamptonshire chose to donate the garden after St Barnabas Hospice cared for her friend Jane McCarthy, in her final days.

Caitlin said: “It is a real pleasure to be able to donate my show garden as a memorial garden for our dear family friend Jane. I really wanted to do something in her memory and to bring comfort to others in the hospice that may need a garden space to relax in.

“My garden for Tatton Park takes the RHS theme which is Health, Happiness and Horticulture and combines it with my interest in nature conservation.

“I’m thrilled to win Gold and the Young Designer of the Year award. It’s been a challenge to get here but I’m so happy all my hard work has paid off.”

St Barnabas is the principal provider of end-of-life care across East Lindsey and has run Louth Hospice on Grimsby Road since it first opened its doors to clients more than two years ago.

Nicky Ingall, General Manger for St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice, said:

“We are absolutely thrilled that Caitlin has chosen to donate her stunning and award winning garden to our hospice. It will be a welcome addition to our outdoor space and I am confident that it will be enjoyed by our patients and their families and our staff and volunteers.

“Having access to outdoor space is really important to the health and wellbeing of our patients and studies show that it has therapeutic benefits and encourages relaxation.

“We are looking forward to the garden being completed and inviting our local community in to enjoy it.”

The garden will be installed at the Louth hospice site from 28th July before being officially opened in September.

The shop on Church Street in Gainsborough

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice’s charity shop in Gainsborough is being forced to close at the end of August, after 6 years of trading.

The shop, located on Church Street, will close its doors for the final time by Wednesday 31st August, after the shop made significant losses over the past two years.

Phil Brandon, Head of Trading at St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice, said:

“Unfortunately despite our best efforts, the shop has been making a loss for some time and we have taken the difficult decision to close.

“The footfall in our shop has continued to decrease over the last two years which has led to a significant fall in sales, making this no longer financially viable for the hospice.

“We are grateful to the Gainsborough community for their support of our shop over the past six years and to our team of staff and volunteers who have dedicated their time and efforts to our hospice.”

The charity’s services are delivered to the Gainsborough community from their flagship day hospice, George Henderson Lodge in Morton. The unit provides a base for their community nursing teams, day therapy and bereavement support services.

Nicky Ingall, General Manager for St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice, said:

“Our commitment to provide our care and services within the Gainsborough community remains unchanged and we have recently increased our services to meet the growing needs of the area.

“Our Day Therapy service is now offered weekly, a new physiotherapy suite has been created and a physiotherapist has been employed to ensure greater access in this area.

“We remain committed to supporting people with life-limiting illnesses and their families and providing them with the highest possible standard of care.”

With an ageing and growing population, there are more and more people living in Lincolnshire with life-limiting illnesses – ranging from cancer, to lung and heart conditions, to dementia – requiring the range of personalised services that the St Barnabas team provides from its George Henderson base.

The unit is the headquarters for St Barnabas’s local Hospice at Home team, which supports people with advanced illnesses to be cared for in the familiar surroundings of their home and to die there if that is their wish.

Phil Brandon added: “Every person that has donated their belongings to us, bought items and volunteered in our shop has hugely contributed to helping hundreds of people with a terminal health condition to receive the care and support they need.

Phil concludes: “We hope they will continue to support us in whatever way they can.”

The community can continue to donate their belongs to a collection point at George Henderson Lodge, Front Street, Morton DN21 3AA.

For further information please contact enquiries@stbarnabashospice.co.uk

Official statement

Unfortunately, our shop located on Church Street in Gainsborough will cease trading by 31st August. This difficult decision has been made because of a significant fall in sales over the past two years which has resulted in the shop being no longer financially viable for the hospice.

Like many charities, we are operating in a tough economic environment and need to ensure we have the right structures in place to meet our current financial target and also to adapt to future needs and challenges.

We will be offering full support to those staff and volunteers that are affected as we implement the closure of this shop.

We are grateful to the Gainsborough community for their support of our shop over the past six years and to our team of staff and volunteers who have dedicated their time and efforts to our hospice.

Every person that has donated their belongings to us, bought items and volunteered in our shop has hugely contributed to helping hundreds of people with a terminal health condition to receive the care and support they need.

We hope they will continue to support us in whatever way they can.

The closure of our shop will not affect the delivery of patient care, which will continue as normal from our George Henderson lodge in Morton. The unit will continue to act as a base for our community nursing teams in addition to the Day Therapy and counselling support that is provided on site.

We remain committed to supporting people with life-limiting illnesses and their families and providing them with the highest possible standard of care.

East Lindsey is to be given its biggest ever say in how the growing number of people living with life-limiting illnesses will be cared for in the future

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice has launched a major campaign across the district to encourage its 140,000 residents to help them shape and improve end-of-life care across the district.

The community’s feedback will play a key role in the charity’s development of end-of-life care services in East Lindsey.

Feedback will be gathered via a short questionnaire which is available to complete on the charity’s website or a paper version can be collected from one of their shops in the East Lindsey area.

Jane Bake, Director of Service and Innovation for St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“This initiative is an important step in ensuring that St Barnabas and our end-of-life care partners get it right when it matters most. Our ambition is to tailor care and support that helps people to live well and to receive the care they deserve at the end of life.

“My elderly family live in East Lindsey and I have witnessed first-hand what works well in the area and where services could be improved. Together with our staff, volunteers, patients and the local community we will make changes where they are needed to enable us to stay at the forefront of best clinical practice in meeting the ever-increasing need of this community.”

St Barnabas is the principal provider of end-of-life care across East Lindsey and has run Louth Hospice on Grimsby Road since it first opened its doors to clients more than two years ago.

It is keen to explore the views of the local community and a number of feedback events have been planned throughout July and will take place in varying locations at the heart of the local community.

Jane said: “We recognise that ‘one size doesn’t fit all’ and the feedback we receive will assist in developing care that puts the individual at the centre of all we do; wherever they may reside. Working with others we will also ensure that the care provided is integrated and co-ordinated to avoid duplication and the waste of precious resources.

“Not only is it important that services work together we also need to work with the people and communities of East Lindsey to embrace their skills and abilities; together we can develop environments where people feel skilled and confident to support those around them.

She added: “Delivering excellent care that is safe and meets the needs of the people of East Lindsey will remain at the focus of our ambitions and be at the heart of everything we do.”

Visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk to complete the questionnaire and to find a full schedule of the planned feedback events in East Lindsey.

Access the questionnaire directly at http://stbarnabashospice.fluidsurveys.com/surveys/stbarnabaslinc/jane-bake/

Carers can get help to access the benefits they are entitled to

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice is holding an event during Carers Week to help raise awareness of the support available to carers

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice is hosting a Caring for Carers event to be held on Friday 10th June during Carers Week (6 – 12 June). The event is designed to recognise and reward carers for their contribution to families and communities throughout the UK.

Caring for Carers offers free practical advice and support from a solicitor and the St Barnabas Welfare team who will be assisting on the financial problems that can often arise.

The session will also look after the comfort and wellbeing of the carer with time to indulge in hand massage and t’ai chi.

The event will run from 10am to 2pm at St Barnabas Day Therapy Centre, Hawthorn Road, Lincoln LN2 4QX.

Ruth O’Melia, Community Liaison Manager for St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice, said:

“We are really looking forward to welcoming carers from across the county to join us at this special event. Carers play a crucial role in the care of our patients and we are committed to supporting their psychological and emotional wellbeing.

“This event will allow carers the opportunity to connect with professionals who will be able to provide advice or information on caring. The event also provides the opportunity for carers to meet with other like-minded people and to feel supported.

Carers Week, the UK wide annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, takes place from 6 – 12 June, and will see individuals and organisations from around the UK come together to organise events and activities throughout the country.

Ruth said: “Carers Week helps to highlight the many challenges faced by carers across the UK. Events like ours help carers to look after their loved ones, while recognising they are individuals with needs of their own.

“All carers are encouraged to attend regardless of whether they are caring for a hospice patient. This event really is for every carer in our community.”

Caring for Carers is free to attend and there is ample free onsite parking.

For further information about Caring for Carers please contact Ruth O’Melia on 01522 518 236.

Tracey Bleakley (second left) meets with the team at the ‘Hospice in the Hospital’

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice praised by Hospice UK CEO after visit to ground-breaking ‘Hospice in the Hospital’

Tracey Bleakley, the CEO of Hospice UK today praised St Barnabas Hospice for their pioneering approach to end-of-life care and the difference it makes to patients and their families.

This morning Tracey who leads the national charity representing hospices, visited the innovative ‘hospice in the hospital’ and praised its approach to patient experience.

The purpose designed £1.2 million six-bedded community hospice opened in September 2014 as part of a joint venture between St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, and Lincolnshire South West Clinical Commissioning Group.

Chris Wheway, Chief Executive for St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“It is a real honour to be recognised as leaders in our field by the national charity for hospice care and to work with them to share our expertise and knowledge to further support the development of palliative and end-of-life care.

“The hospice in the hospital perfectly demonstrates that when organisations work collaboratively the service a patient and their family receive is greatly enhanced. This partnership allows for us to widen local access and offer those in the community with a life-limiting illness a choice of where and how they want to die.”

The unit at Grantham and District Hospital is the first of its kind in the UK, providing care to patients under the responsibility of GPS but with access to hospital nurses, doctors and therapists.

It harnesses the very latest thinking and research, putting the project at the forefront of best practice by adopting a novel approach to design to improve end-of-life care across South West Lincolnshire.

Cathie Alcock, sister of the hospice for United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said:

“As the Sister of this wonderful facility it is a real honour and privilege to not only work in such beautiful surroundings, but also in being able to care for the many patients and their families and friends who have passed through our doors since we opened. The feedback that we have received from users of the unit and the local community have all been really positive and encouraging.”

Since it opened its doors in September 2014, the ‘hospice in the hospital’ has cared for more than 260 patients – saving them and their families a 60-mile round trip to what was the county’s only inpatient unit at Nettleham Road, Lincoln.

Dr David Baker, Chair of The Executive Committee, South West Lincolnshire CCG, said:

“For Tracey to visit and recognise the work that has been undertaken at this ground breaking unit has been a fantastic achievement. The close working relationship between the parties has meant that the unit has quickly been recognised as the way forward for the delivery of palliative care. The unit is already receiving very high praise from the many patients and their families who have used the facilities.”

Every seat in The Angel Coffee House was filled as 37 people from across the county gathered together for discussions on death and dying

Lincoln, 17th May 2016 – In a bid to break the taboo, St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice has held a Death Café where members of the public gathered to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death.

The Death Café was held on Sunday 15th May, from 3 – 5pm, at The Angel Coffee House on Free School Lane in Lincoln. The event aimed to stimulate conversation about death and dying.

Lisa Gibson, Community Development Manager at St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“Talking about death, dying and bereavement is a subject that many people can find challenging. In many ways, it has become a modern taboo with people desperately avoiding their own mortality.

“Therefore it was a real delight to see The Angel Coffee House full of people who had come to have open and honest conversations about all aspects of death and dying and help us to challenge this taboo.

“At Death Café 37 people gathered in small groups to have open discussions about a wide range of subjects including will writing, coping with bereavement and how to talk to family about dying.

The Death Café was a group-directed discussion with no agenda, objectives or themes and was a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session.

Lisa said: “Death Café had a real buzz and it was wonderful to hear the many life-affirming conversations taking place. Alongside the serious topics being discussed, there was also a lot of laughter and guests lefts the event feeling very uplifted.

“People fed back to us that they enjoyed having an environment where they were encouraged to discuss topics that they might otherwise avoid and where they were made to feel welcome.”

The Death Café movement was started by Jon Underwood in London in 2011 and since then thousands of Death Cafes have been held across Europe, North America, and Australasia.

Lisa concludes: “It is our view that having open and honest conversations will mean that we are all better equipped to support each other when death has an impact on our lives.

“Death Café is a brilliant way to address that by having gentle conversations in an informal setting. The event really helped people to focus their thoughts and feelings on important subjects that are paramount to helping people to live well and make the most of life until the very end.”

Death Café was held on the last day of Dying Matters Week, which runs from 9th – 15th May. The annual campaign urges people to talk more openly about death, dying and bereavement and make plans for the end of life.

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice launch The Good Goodbye app to help people to live and die in the way that they choose

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice has launched a new app The Good Goodbye to encourage conversations about dying, death and bereavement.

The app, which was produced by Liam Moat, will be available to download for free and will pose a series of questions to prompt discussions. Questions can be answered at random or within themes such as Living Life to the Full, Planning Ahead, Being Cared For, Dying Well, and After Death.

Earlier this year the Dying Matters Coalition revealed that 71% of the public agreed that if people in Britain felt more comfortable discussing dying, death and bereavement it would be easier to have their end of life wishes met.

Community Development Manager Lisa Gibson said the new app would help to change social attitudes towards these subjects and help to remove the stigma associated with talking about death.

“Talking about dying may not be easy, but it could be one of the most important conversations you will ever have. In many ways, death and dying has become a modern day taboo with people actively avoiding their own mortality.

“A fundamental change in society to accept death as a part of the life cycle will mean that when death does have an impact on our lives we will be better equipped to support each other.

“Open and honest conversations will also mean that more people are able to access the care and support they need, make the most of the time they have and have their end of life wishes met.”

The app can be used independently or as part of a group to promote wider discussion. Where a participant finds a question particularly thought provoking it can be saved to an envelope which will be forwarded to them at the end of the game. In order to play only one person needs to have downloaded the app.

Lisa said: “The Good Goodbye offers users the chance to gather their thoughts together about how they want their end of life to be. The app is about talking to your friends and loved ones and sharing your thoughts and feelings.

“Users should think about where is the best place for them to have these conversations, who would they like to be involved and when would be the best time to have these conversations.

“The important thing is that The Good Goodbye is a practical first step in starting important conversations and for putting plans in place.”

The Good Goodbye is available to download from the Apple’s App Store and Android’s Play Store.

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/the-good-goodbye/id1109782003

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.liammoat.thegoodgoodbye

Local residents are encouraged to share their hopes and dreams

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice are attempting to compile Lincolnshire’s biggest ever bucket list during Dying Matters Awareness Week

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice will be teaming up with The Waterside shopping Centre in Lincoln to raise awareness of the importance of talking about dying and putting plans in place.

From 9th – 13th May, local residents will be encouraged to add their hopes and dreams to bucket list style ‘Before I die…’ boards and decorate a cardboard coffin with poems, art, and quotes in a community coffin project.

Michelle Webb, Director of Patient Care for St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“Over half a million people die in the UK each year; yet talking about dying, death and bereavement is something that many people find challenging. Our presence within The Waterside Shopping Centre is about removing the stigma surrounding these subjects and encouraging people to have open and honest conversations.

“People may think it sounds morbid but the boards and the coffin project are as much about life as they are death. It is about encouraging people to make the most of the time they have and to put plans in place so that they can get on with living.”

The bucket list style boards and the community coffin project are part of a wider initiative to promote Dying Matters Awareness Week, which runs from 9th – 15th May. The annual campaign urges people to talk more openly and make plans for the end of life.

Michelle said: “Our hope is that the boards and coffin will help to get important conversations started about what really matters to people and tackle the reluctance to discuss dying and death.

“People can get involved right across the county as our 27 shops will also be hosting bucket list style window displays which our shoppers can add to. Our aim is to get as many people as possible involved in helping us to create Lincolnshire’s biggest ever bucket list.

“We hope that over time we can change social attitudes towards the topic of death and that by having open and honest conversations we will all be better equipped to support each other when death has an impact on our lives.”