Category: Hospice News

Warwick Davis is taken on a tour of the Hospice in the Hospital

Staff and patients at Lincolnshire’s first Hospice in the Hospital have celebrated its official opening

On Thursday 21st January, renowned actor Warwick Davis performed the official opening of the new purpose designed £1.2 million unit within Grantham and District Hospital.

The famous actor was honoured to open the new unit and captivated staff and patients with his motivational speech, before unveiling the new plaque and declaring the unit open.

He said: “It is a great honour to be asked here to open this pioneering hospice in the hospital which is providing the benchmark for palliative care across the country. After speaking with the patients here, it is clear how important a unit like this is.

“It really is great to be here and be part of history in the making by declaring this facility open.”

The official opening was staged by St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust and South West Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group, who have pooled their expertise in a unique partnership to create the ground-breaking six-bedded unit.

Since it opened its doors in September 2014, the Hospice in the Hospital has cared for more than 221 patients – saving them and their family and friends a 60-mile round journey to currently the county’s only inpatient unit at Nettleham Road, Lincoln.

Warwick was impressed with the palliative care facilities within the Hospice in the Hospital.

He said: “Not only are they being cared for in a state of the art facility they are also given access to the specialist care they deserve. The attention to detail in this unit is incredible and the quality of care they are receiving is second to none.”

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

“We are delighted that Warwick has been able to open this unique unit for us. This partnership provides an innovative approach to providing hospice care locally and has benefited many patients and their families in our community.”

The Hospice in the Hospital harnesses the very latest thinking and research, putting the project at the forefront of best practice to improve end-of-life care across South West Lincolnshire.

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

“For us to get Warwick to open this ground breaking unit today has been a real coup. 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.”

Mandy Charles, Matron at Grantham and District Hospital, said:

“We are delighted to be able to officially open the unit. We are all very proud of how the hospice in a hospital is working. It brings together expertise from the community and the hospital in partnership working to provide the best care to patients and their families in a unique way. We have been upheld as leaders in the field and recognised at a national level which is fantastic for the staff and patients of Grantham and District hospital.”

Stamford hospice at home team are relocating from Stamford hospital to the purpose-built office space above the charity’s shop in Bourne.

The relocation comes after Stamford Hospital revealed their plans to make changes to the hospital site. The move to the Bourne shop is the first time that St Barnabas has used one of its 25 shops to support their care services.

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

“Working in partnership with our shops department provides an innovative approach to greater joint working within the Trust. It also allows us to put our nursing expertise on the high street and will help to increase the local community focus.

“We are hoping that the convenient location will mean that our team will be able to support members of the public directly and will offer an increased choice of services including welfare and benefits advice and support from the family support services team.”

The existing team will be working from the new site from December 2015. The Bourne location will also act as a ‘hot desk’ for other health and social care professionals and will support collaboration of palliative care services in the local community.

Michelle said: “Patient care will continue to be our priority and the move to Bourne will not change this. Our nurses will still be caring for the same patients in the same area and access to our services will greatly improve.

“We always welcome ways to work differently and more effectively and this venture offers the opportunity for further innovation in the community.”

The new telephone number for the Stamford Hospice at Home team is: 01778 394324 and Fax No: 01778 420707

Breaking new ground…the St Barnabas team at Louth Hospice is reaching out into the community to give East Lindsey its biggest say in how end-of-life care is provided to a growing number of people with life-limiting illnesses in the future.

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 Hospice today (Wednesday November 25) unveiled plans to launch a major listening campaign across the district so its 140,000 residents have an opportunity to share in, and shape, a new and ground-breaking approach to end-of-life care.

The community’s feedback will play a key role in the charity’s delivery of an action plan that will also act as a trailblazer for taking forward palliative care services across the whole of Lincolnshire.

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 one of the Mayor of Louth’s three chosen charities for the year.

Its Chief Executive, Chris Wheway, said: “This initiative heralds the start of an exciting new era for East Lindsey. We want its community to join us at the very beginning of our journey to invest, improve and innovate in an unprecedented way.

“Drawing upon the skills of our staff – including our specialist team of doctors, nurses and other health professionals – as well as our army of volunteers, we are determined to break new ground in the way we provide services.

“This will enable us to stay at the forefront of best clinical practice in meeting the wishes of our patients and their families, amid an ever-increasing need.

“With its fast-growing and ageing population, this is particularly the case in East Lindsey. Here, we are rising to this immense challenge by developing an ambitious plan designed to accelerate the improvements that local people tell us they wish to see.”

This will include building on the development of services for those with non-cancer conditions, including the frail, elderly and the increasing number of people living with dementia; and St Barnabas turning its Louth Hospice base into a community hub where local groups can meet – all part of a wider plan help break down the barriers of social isolation and improve well-being.

It is also keen to explore people’s views on the potential role of new and assistive technology to enhance their care, as well as sound them out about its idea for creating a “Hospice in a Care Home” service. This is in response to research which reveals that East Lindsey has three times the number of people living in care homes – one of the highest ratios in the UK.

In addition to engaging with local people at events that will be staged in the heart of the community, St Barnabas aims to work with a range of partners, such as East Lindsey District Council, the local NHS, and charities such as Marie Curie and Dementia Action Alliance, to finalise the way forward.

Councillor Craig Leyland, Leader of East Lindsey District Council, said the initiative would pool the expertise of all the key providers of health and social care.

“I am delighted that the community will be at the forefront of this forward thinking, adding a unique and very personalised dimension to the way we develop our plans,” he said.

“All the partners involved share a strong track record for innovation and joint working, creating the ideal platform on which to progress this new work.”

Chairman of St Barnabas Hospice, Robert Neilans, said: “As well as a caring organisation, we are also a listening one.

“This is all about hearing and capturing the community’s views first-hand, so we understand better what it is that would make a real and positive difference to people’s lives. It is not about what we think they may want or need.

“And we know from what people have told us already that it can also sometimes be the simple things in life – like a pub lunch – that can make a huge impact.”

He added: “It will ensure that all the initiatives we adopt complement each other, and make every Pound of support we receive go as far as possible by not duplicating or wasting these precious resources.”

St Barnabas will be staging its own dedicated listening events, as well as linking into other community meetings arranged by its partners, such as the council, that would lend themselves to the exercise.

The first events are planned for early in the New Year and details of dates, times and venues will be shared soon. Residents who cannot attend will be able to share their experiences and put forward their ideas in a series of other options made available.

Hundreds of local residents gathered together to remember their loved ones in annual celebration

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice has raised more than £32,000 in memory of loved ones after they welcomed more than 1,500 people to their Light Up a Life event in Lincoln.

The 15th annual celebration was held on Tuesday 24th November and began with an open service at Our Lady of Lincoln Church followed by a flaming torchlight procession through Uphill Lincoln to the Cathedral.

Becky Otter, Event Manager for St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to have raised such an amazing amount from our Light Up a Life campaign in Lincoln. Our supporters are always so generous and their donations will make a real difference to our patients and their families this Christmas.”

The procession was led by RAF Waddington Pipe Band and followed by members of the Army Cadet Choral Band. The procession was greeted by songs from a choir before the Tree of Life lights were switched on. People were then invited to tie messages of love to the railings surrounding the tree before coming together again to enjoy mulled wine and soup.

Becky Otter said:

“It was stunning to see over 1,000 lights shining brightly on our Tree of Life, each one dedicated to the life of someone special who is no longer with us. It is heartwarming to see so many people honouring the memories of those they have loved.

“Light Up a Life is the perfect opportunity for people to come together and remember loved ones in a positive way whilst finding comfort in each other. It is truly a special evening that will remain a firm favourite in our hospice calendar.”

Grantham’s ground-breaking “hospice in the hospital” is the clear winner for the End-of-life Care Development award at the Building Better Healthcare Awards 2015.

The unit at Grantham and District hospital is the first of its kind in the UK and has been recognised for its innovative approach to patient experience at an awards ceremony held last night.

The hospice in a hospital beat off competition from across the country to win the best End of Life Care project, being recognised for its unique approach of providing care to patients under the responsibility of GPs but with access to hospital nurses, doctors and therapists.

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.

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.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have been announced as the clear winners of this prestigious award,” said Michelle Webb, Director of Patient Care at St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice. “It demonstrates that when organisations work collaboratively great things can be achieved which enhance the services that we are able to provide to patients and their families.”

Representatives from both St Barnabas Hospice and the local NHS worked with the leading healthcare research think-tank, the King’s Fund, to develop an approach to hospice design that extended best practice.

The hospice was drawn up by the interior design and landscape teams at Franklin Ellis Architects in Nottingham, the project led by Associate Director Andy Dowding – who sits on the board of a hospice himself.

He explained: “The way we deliver end of life care to people is a hugely sensitive issue, but it’s wrong to assume that we can’t design these environments without flair or imagination. If anything, these elements become even more important because people need to feel welcomed.

“I’m immensely proud to have been involved in all of these projects. It has been a privilege to work alongside healthcare professionals who want to make sure that patients are treated with the utmost dignity in surroundings appropriate for them, their families and the community at large.”

Ian Hayden, facilities manager at Grantham and District Hospital, said:

“In short, the opening of the Hospice in the Hospital was not the end of a project but the start of a shared journey to ensure that regardless of location or diagnosis, patients are afforded the care that they require to die peacefully and live well until they die. The unit provides services for our local community, closer to home for our patients and their families.”

The Building Better Healthcare Awards judges added:

“The old medical assessment unit has been transformed into a beautiful and tranquil space, both internally and externally. The bedrooms are of a good size with tranquil views, which is just what you would want, and patient privacy has been considered. The garden is lovely and there are many small seating spacing.”

Val Blankley, Improvement and Delivery Manager for South West Lincolnshire CCG said:

“We’re so pleased to have won this prestigious award. We’re very proud of the success of the partnership between the NHS and St Barnabas, and I have personally enjoyed being part of the project team to develop such a unique facility.

“Our aim was to develop not just a great facility, but something extraordinary of which the local community can feel proud, and this award proves that we have done that. The hospice is widening local access to services and offering those living in the community with life-limiting illnesses a far wider choice of where and how they want to die.”

The Chairman of the Trustees, Bob Neilans, welcomes Chris Wheway into his new role

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice has appointed Chris Wheway as its new chief executive.

Chris is currently the Divisional Director of Urgent and Planned Care for Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust, and will take up his post on 2 November.

Chris will join St Barnabas following a long career within the NHS in both Lincolnshire and Derbyshire, spanning 12 years.

“I am really looking forward to starting my role as Chief Executive of St Barnabas and leading the organisation in what I believe to be an exciting time for palliative care,” says Mr Wheway.

Commenting on Mr Wheway’s appointment, the hospice’s Chairman of Trustees, Bob Neilans, said:

“On behalf of the Hospice I am pleased to welcome Chris to the organisation. He has extensive NHS experience and I am confident he will quickly embrace the St Barnabas ethos of innovation and excellence. I look forward to Chris taking the Hospice forward.”

He will take over an organisation that has driven innovation to become a centre of excellence in taking the quality of end of life care to new heights.

St Barnabas Hospice has seen a significant increase in the demand for its services, most significantly their day therapy services which over the last two years has seen a 177% increase in the number of people accessing the service, which is wholly funded by charitable donations.

In the last 12 months the charity’s community hospice at home teams have cared for more than 1,700 patients in their own homes across the county and for over 350 people at its inpatient facilities in Lincoln and Grantham.

Last year saw the launch of the UK’s first “Hospice in the Hospital” at Grantham, an innovative partnership with the acute trust and the Southwest Clinical Commissioning Group to provide a purpose designed, six-bedded community hospice unit within Grantham and District Hospital.

Mr Wheway added: “St Barnabas has an excellent reputation for delivering high-quality person-centered care and I am privileged to be part of what I believe to be a compassion-focused and innovative organisation.

“It is clear that the next five years will see wide-ranging changes in the health and social care environment. My aim is to be at the forefront of this change, listening to patients their families and carers, to ensure that we not only continue to provide high-quality services and lead the development of palliative care in Lincolnshire but that through innovation and partnerships, we support more people closer to home.”

Singing for Health helps patients with their breathing and coordination.

RECORD numbers of people with life-limiting illnesses across East Lindsey are taking advantage of a further expansion in day therapy services provided by St Barnabas Hospice.

An increase in demand has prompted the charity to increase the number of sessions it offers at Louth Hospice, ensuring the needs of those living with both cancer and non-cancer conditions are met.

St Barnabas, the principal provider of end-of-life care across the locality, now provides day therapy three days every week from its locality base at the hospice.

And it continues to take the initiative into the heart of other communities by staging sessions once a fortnight in Skegness and Mablethorpe.

Around 200 patients have already benefited from various day therapy services, which are free-of-charge and currently funded wholly through charitable donations to St Barnabas.

Among the therapeutic sessions with a difference is “Singing for Health”, a choir comprising patients who find that it helps with their breathing and coordination.

St Barnabas has also expanded its physiotherapy services based at the hospice, which now operate two days a week, in response to increasing demand to provide more palliative rehabilitation to our patients.

“As well as a caring charity, St Barnabas is also a listening one,” said St Barnabas’ Nicky Ingall, who manages Louth Hospice. “Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we have been able to respond by expanding the range of services that our clients tell us they want and will benefit from.

“Day therapy is a developing service, growing in popularity month-on-month since we opened our doors two years ago offering just one session a week. Now we run sessions three days a week and are exploring ways of increasing this further, as the community need is there.

“Many of the specialist services that hospices like St Barnabas now provide do not require a person to be an inpatient – there are so many other ways that we support people that are medically more appropriate and preferred by the patients themselves.

Day therapy can help people with a range of issues which they may be having difficulty with, such as physical, emotional, social, spiritual and psychological problems. The aim of attending the range of day therapy activities is to help people manage their symptoms, help them gain more confidence at home by assessing their personal needs, and help improve the quality of their lives.

St Barnabas also provides pre and post bereavement counselling through its Family Support Service, with a drop-in bereavement group meeting every Thursday afternoon at Louth Hospice.

Anyone aged 18 and above can refer themselves to any or all of the different services provided, without the need for a doctor’s letter. For any further information on how St Barnabas’ care services can be accessed in your area please call 01522 511566 or visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk

Representatives of the Louth hospice team who have helped make last year a record-breaking one in terms of patients supported.

FOR the growing community of East Lindsey, it is a case of “thanks a million” several times over as the flagship day hospice in Louth marks its second anniversary.

Run by Lincolnshire’s St Barnabas Hospice, the unit has propelled palliative care into a new era. It has brought an unprecedented amount of expertise under one roof to support thousands of people with life-limiting illnesses and their families.

Just two years on from opening its doors, St Barnabas is now celebrating the hospice’s birthday by achieving two major million-pound-plus milestones.

Not only has the St Barnabas investment topped more than £1.5m in the provision of end-of-life care support to people living across Louth, its coastal area and neighbouring communities such as Boston.

But the charity’s welfare and benefits team has also secured over £3.3m in previously unclaimed benefits for 1,900 patients and their carers. Its advisors have secured this by demystifying which allowances are potentially available, and guiding people through what can be a complex or stressful maze to make an application.

“With every month that goes by, we are getting busier and busier with increasing demand for the services we provide,” said hospice general manager Nicky Ingall.

“The past 12 months have built on our inaugural year of success for St Barnabas’ much-needed new venture here in the heart of the Louth community.

“It has also been a record-breaking one for the number of people St Barnabas has helped to live well when they are dying, as well as for the amount of investment that we have channelled locally into patient care.”

She added: “Bringing all our different services together in one building has enabled us to avoid duplication and wastage, so that every penny donated to St Barnabas goes even further.

“Since welcoming our first patients two years ago, the hospice has been a modern home not just to our existing services but to new ones as well, creating the launch pad for us to take the quality of care and support we provide to new heights.”

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 new 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. The team supported over 800 people in this way over the last two years.

Nicky added: “On behalf of everyone who has benefitted from our services, I would like to thank those who have contributed to our ongoing success – from fund-raisers in the community, to our first-class staff and volunteers.

“Their hard work has given our services an extra dimension and we are determined to build on this platform in the months and years to come, with more improvements and new initiatives to keep St Barnabas at the forefront of end-of-life across East Lindsey.”

To help the local Louth community share in the anniversary success, St Barnabas is staging two upcoming events – a Christmas Craft Fayre at the hospice on November 15, between 11am-2pm; and the popular Light up a Life service at Louth Methodist Church – 7th December 6pm.

The purpose-designed, two-story unit – leased long-term by St Barnabas from the Louth and District Hospice charity – boasts treatment rooms, quiet areas, a large lounge area and a clinical room for out-patient appointments. It also features four themed gardens with views over the open countryside.

The day hospice was built on a three-acre site donated by local farmer Frank Nicholson adjacent to Fanthorpe Farm, near the Fairfield Industrial Estate.

For any further information on how St Barnabas’ care services can be accessed in your area please call 01522 511566 or visit: www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk

The UK’s first Hospice in the Hospital at Grantham

INITIATIVES pioneered by Lincolnshire St Barnabas Hospice have helped propel the UK to the top of world rankings for end-of-life care.

In welcoming yesterday’s report as a major endorsement of the quality of services available, the charity pledged to continue its work to ensure the county stayed at the forefront of innovation.

“Thanks to the skills of our staff and the unstinting support we receive from the community, there is no shortage of ways in which St Barnabas has broken new ground in the provision of specialist services. These allow people with life-limiting illnesses to choose the death they would like,” said interim Chief Executive Karen Rossdale.

“Lincolnshire’s reputation has attracted interest from across the UK, as well as further afield, and has put St Barnabas very much on the map as a centre of excellence in taking the quality of end-of-life care to new heights.”

The latest initiative that breaks new ground focuses on the appointment – in partnership with United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust – of a palliative and end-of-life care Chaplain providing spiritual care and support to patients and their families.

The partnership is also supporting the delivery of training to staff across all wards and sites to support best practice in palliative and end-of-life care with the new appointment of a dedicated end-of-life-facilitator to ensure patients’ needs are met.

This is achieved through conversations with patients about where they want to be cared for, as well as identifying new activities within day therapy that patients and their carers would like to benefit from.

These initiatives are all part of a wider programme of improvements designed to offer a more personalised range of services, closer to the person’s home.

It builds on a raft of other developments, including last year’s launch of the UK’s first “Hospice in the Hospital” at Grantham, and the recent expansion of day therapy services that the charity provides to the East Lindsey community from its locality base at Louth and District Hospice.

Karen added: “We should all take pride in today’s findings and the innovative ways in which St Barnabas, as the principal provider of specialist end-of-life care throughout Lincolnshire, is contributing to this success.

“We have an ambitious development programme in place to build on our track record as one of the UK’s longest-established and most successful hospice charities.

“And we look forward to the people of Lincolnshire continuing to be among the first in the UK – as well as in the world- to benefit from our approach.

“We are very grateful to the community we serve for their amazing support for over 30 years and the platform this has built to enable us to extend the boundaries of quality.”

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice backs national campaign to raise awareness of hospice services

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice will be adding its voice to hundreds of other hospices across the UK to explore the theme of Connecting Care for Hospice Care Week 2015 (5-11 October).

Hospice Care Week is an annual event to raise awareness about the work of the Hospice sector within the UK. The campaign encourages member hospices to make a noise to raise awareness about the difference hospice care makes to the end of life.

During Hospice Care Week, hospice across the UK will be sharing the innovative and surprising ways that hospices support dying people and their families, so that they can spend their final moments in dignity and peace.

Hospice Care Week provides the perfect opportunity to do this with World Hospice and Palliative Care Day taking place on Saturday 10 October.

People who don’t know a lot about hospice care may be surprised that hospice care brings together a diverse range of professionals and volunteers to work side-by-side to support dying people and their families when they need it most.

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice cares for more than 9,000 people a year who are living with a life-limiting illness and are supported by more than 1,000 volunteers who give up their free time to volunteer each year.

Even fewer people may know about hospice staff and volunteers going the extra mile to add life to days, the range of therapies that enrich the lives of people receiving end of life care, or the important role that hospices play in supporting and educating staff and volunteers.

The range of therapies at St Barnabas continues to evolve and most recently the charity has introduced Canine Carers. This is an initiative that sees dogs used for therapeutic purposes, they will meet and greet and offer unconditional love as a way of improving patients wellbeing.

Canine Carers is a first for St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice who are rolling out the program across the county.

Between 5 and 11 October hundreds of hospices, their staff and supporters will be taking to Twitter and Facebook to spread the message about Connecting Care. To learn more about Hospice Care Week visit www.hospicecareweek.org and don’t forget to keep an eye out for #HospiceCareWeek.