Category: Hospice News
St Barnabas Hospice becomes a member of the Neurodiversity in Business Forum
St Barnabas Hospice is proud to announce that the charity has joined the Neurodiversity in Business Forum.
NiB is a business-led forum functioning as an industry group for organisations to share industry good practice on ND recruitment, retention and empowerment.
Neurodiversity describes the amazing variety in human neurology, thinking, communication styles and expression. Individuals who are Neurodiverse tend to exhibition traits attributed to conditions such as Autism Spectrum Conditions, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Developmental Language Disorder and Dyspraxia.
The NiB organisation draws upon the cumulative knowledge of neurodivergent experts and leading companies to share best practice and improve the employment and experience of the neurodiverse workforce.
Speaking upon admission to NiB, Mandy Smith, Head of Human Resources said: “By signing up for the ‘Neurodiversity in Business Forum’, St Barnabas recognises that colleagues with neurological differences such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other neurodivergent neurotypes, bring unique skills and perspectives to the Trust.
“The Human Resources team are in the process of implementing new measures and facilities within the workplace to support our neurodiverse colleagues, and to raise awareness of neurodiversity. We look forward to working with other organisations within NiB to continue to work towards ensuring the best in diversity and inclusion standards.”
To find out more about the Neurodiversity in Business Forum, go to: https://neurodiversityinbusiness.org/
St Barnabas’ Wellbeing Centre in Grantham temporarily closed for essential maintenance and improvement works
40 Faces of hospice care | Meet Stephen Currie, volunteer
When a set of unfortunate circumstances led Stephen to speak to a St Barnabas charity shop manager on the Lincoln High Street, little did he know that the visit would be the beginning of his time as a valuable volunteer at the Hospice.
Leukaemia and a bone marrow transplant meant Stephen was unable to work for a long time, so he was looking for a volunteering role. When he walked into our shop that day, he immediately knew it was where he’d like to volunteer his time. He mentioned it to the manager and got himself an interview the following week.
Stephen was keen, arriving two hours early to his interview. And three hours later, he was officially a Hospice volunteer! On his first day, Stephen started by refreshing the DVD stock and worked at lightning speed. He picked things up quickly and soon trained on the till, becoming a whizz. So much so that Stephen gave his trainer a refresher when the team returned to the shop after the Covid-19 lockdown!
Stephen’s skills didn’t go unnoticed, and his manager suggested he train to become a volunteer leader and take on some managerial responsibilities. After some thought, Stephen decided to go for it and moved to the Burton Road shop in Lincoln. He took his lead from his manager after seeing how well she looked after the volunteers, and he’s a popular team member, making sure everyone enjoys what they’re doing. As well as looking after his fellow volunteers, Stephen was soon sorting clothes, bric-a-brac, games, and toys and keeping the shop neat. But ask anyone, and they’ll say not to let Stephen near the chinaware otherwise there’ll be more tidying up!
Stephen impressed his manager so much that she nominated him for the BBC Make A Difference Volunteer of the Year Award. Stephen was delighted and when Michael Nortin from BBC Radio Lincolnshire called him unexpectedly to let him know, he took the opportunity to talk to the football commentator about Lincoln City FC – Stephen’s favourite team!
Stephen describes himself as similar to a Swiss army knife – very useful! We’d say that like a Swiss army knife, Stephen makes life easier, for our customers, our staff and most importantly, for our patients and their families.
In his own words…
“My first thought was to get some work experience through volunteering. But when I found out more about the Hospice, it made me more passionate about it. I also always remember that without my transplant I might have needed their care. I always say when one door closes, another door opens, and I’m glad it was the Hospice shop door for me.”
To see all 40 Faces and their stories, please visit: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/40faces
40 Faces of hospice care | Meet Sheena Ambler, Senior Clinical Services Manager
Sheena brought a lot of knowledge and experience to St Barnabas when she joined us, and she shares it with colleagues and others to make end-of-life care as complete as possible for patients.
Sheena joined the St Barnabas team in 2010 as Deputy Service Manager based in Grantham, caring for patients in their own homes, and before that, she’d spent several years on an acute surgical ward. But Sheena always had a soft spot for palliative care, especially for supporting patients and families in the community. So there was no way she was passing up the chance to support the Service Manager as her deputy and help develop the then-newly established Hospice at Home team.
Helping build and shape that team was just the start of Sheena’s significant contribution to the Hospice over the years. Today she’s Senior Clinical Services Manager for South Lincolnshire and has several achievements under her belt, while bringing people together for better care has been at the heart of everything Sheena has achieved. She even played a part in bringing her hero Jonathan Van-Tam to St Barnabas to open Novak House, the Boston Wellbeing Hub. Ironically, Sheena was on the Isle of Man that day and missed him!
Going the extra mile is in Sheena’s DNA. Despite taking the time to build a relationship with a patient in the community, he still refused to have Hospice nurses in his home. But Sheena’s persistence paid off, and eventually she made it to the hallway. And that’s when she spotted several steam train pictures on the wall. So knowing he was a steam train enthusiast, Sheena spent the next few weeks learning everything she could about steam engines. It did the trick! Soon after, she made it to the living room, where they’d sit and talk about trains, and Sheena would slip in the questions about his pain and how he was feeling before getting back on track with steam trains. In a similar scenario, Sheena devoured the entire Wisden Dictionary of Cricket!
Sheena goes the extra mile for St Barnabas outside of her role too – literally. Sheena and her cycling club have raised thousands of pounds for the Hospice, encouraging others to do the same.
Sheena’s intuition and natural ability to build relationships have helped her bring together an outstanding team too. It’s exceptionally important to her too and she credits many of her achievements to the team. Although she takes full responsibility for Egg-gate…that’s a story for another time!
In her own words…
“We all belong together as one big team – nursing, maintenance, volunteers, admin and more. The most important thing to me is empowering patients and allowing families to be resilient and cope with an uncertain future. And by working together, we do that.”
To see all 40 Faces and their stories, please visit: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/40faces
40 Faces of hospice care | Meet Mandy Irons, Head of Wellbeing Services
Mandy believes joining St Barnabas nine years ago was the best career move she’s ever made and hasn’t looked back since. After 25 years in the NHS, joining a county-wide charity was a giant leap. But with a job description that could’ve been written with Mandy in mind, and the Hospice ethos, she knew it was worth it.
Mandy joined us to manage the Family Support Service delivering counselling and emotional support. Yet, in just 12 months, she moved to manage clinical services in the south of Lincolnshire, the Welfare Support team and she still looked after Family Support. This General Manager role made the most of her NHS business management experience, while keeping a foot in family support, while psychotherapy fed her soul. In fact, Mandy’s broad remit was the start of integrating patient and family services to deliver a truly holistic approach.
Fast forward, and today Mandy is our Head of Wellbeing, and her approach has transformed the way we consider wellbeing within the Hospice. She drove the development of the four pillars of wellbeing, bringing together clinical care, emotional, spiritual and psychological help, support for families and carers, and welfare and benefits advice and advocacy. The four-pillar approach is embedded in patient care decisions and is a core part of conversations with commissioners regarding our services.
In between securing funding to develop support for more families, working with the fundraising team to secure grants to deliver bereavement support in non-hospice settings, supporting volunteer counsellors, working with clinical colleagues to develop our care setting, and the People Development Team to support staff wellbeing, and managing a counselling/psychotherapy caseload (and that’s just in one day), Mandy goes the extra mile to support colleagues raising funds for the Hospice too.
Depending on the time of year, she can be found at coffee mornings, doing the walk of shame when her team comes last at a charity golf day or donning reindeer antlers in a bauble barn to read Christmas stories!
As if all that wasn’t enough, Mandy is an on-call manager too, attending emergencies across the county. Mostly it’s lost ID cards or IT issues, so she wasn’t ready for the flooded basement on her first call-out. Nor was she prepared for the swarm of angry wasps and bees that greeted her on call-out two. But the mini-fire on call-out three topped them all! It seems things really do come in threes.
In her own words…
“Reaching 40 years is such an achievement for a county-based charity, and what St Barnabas has achieved in that time is incredible. I’m proud to be part of the St Barnabas family and I owe the Hospice, its staff and volunteers a huge thank you for giving me the best career.”
To see all 40 Faces and their stories, please visit: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/40faces
Kuku Connect networking at The Warehouse
On Tuesday 11th April, the East Midlands business community came together for a networking event with a twist at The Warehouse charity shop by St Barnabas.
The monthly KuKu Connect network gathers business professionals from Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and beyond, and April’s event saw over 60 people gather at The Warehouse in Lincoln.
With over 5,000 square feet of shopping space and thousands of items to browse and purchase to support the hospice charity further, The Warehouse was an unusual location for the KuKu Connect Reception which normally takes place in more traditional networking venues.
Upon invitation, KuKu Connect members were asked to bring along some donations for The Warehouse, with some great items being donated; from clothes, shoes and accessories to books, homeware and more.
Guests received a complimentary glass of the Ruby Gin or Ruby Rum, both created by Pin Gin in celebration of St Barnabas’ 40th anniversary.
A non-alcoholic option was available in the form of the Ruby Coffee by The Lincoln Tea & Coffee Company. All these delicious drinks can be purchased in St Barnabas’ online shop with the profits donated to the charity: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/shop/onlineshop/
Stephen Goddard and Philip Brooks-Stephenson, founders of KuKu Connect say: “Our members had a brilliant time at The Warehouse tonight, many also had a good look around and with so much on offer, there really is something for everyone!
“We are pleased to offer St Barnabas a complimentary one-year membership as the only Lincolnshire-based charity in the group. We look forward to working together and I’m sure they can count on the ongoing support of the many businesses within our organisation.”
St Barnabas provides free, compassionate, and dignified care to adults living with a life-limiting or terminal illness, as well as much needed support for families and carers. The Hospice supports over 12,000 people each year, providing their many care and support services in hospice buildings and Wellbeing Centres, as well as in people’s homes across Lincolnshire.
Caroline Swindin, Fundraising Development Manager, comments: “It’s been a pleasure to host such a well-known networking event that spans several counties and reaches so many communities.
“We’ve had great conversations with guests about the care we deliver across the county, and we hope they have gained information that may help them, a family member or friend who could benefit from our services.
“A huge thank you to Stephen and Philip for choosing us. I’d love to see tonight’s guests again to discuss how they can support us further over a coffee and a chat so please do get in touch with me. We look forward to the next KuKu Connect Reception, where we’ll of course be in attendance!”
To find out more information about St Barnabas, its services and how to support the cause, please visit: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/
All photography by David Harrison
St Barnabas celebrates International Women’s Day with promotions and new recruit
Today, Wednesday 8th March, marks International Women’s Day, a global initiative to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
St Barnabas Hospice currently employs 268 women across the organisation, including doctors and nurses, housekeepers, fundraisers, retail workers, receptionists, and staff in every other area of the charity. Not to mention the Hospice was founded by a group of extraordinary women: Dr Helen Walker, Doreen Wood, Jenny Freeman, and Sheila Briggs.
Without the knowledge and passion of these four women and the many who followed in their footsteps, our charity would not be able to provide palliative and end of life care to over 12,000 people in Lincolnshire each year.
Today we shine a light on three incredible women within St Barnabas: Michelle Webb who has been promoted to Deputy Chief Executive, Rebecca Franks who has taken on Michelle’s previous role of Director of Patient Care Services, and Emma Wheatley who has recently started her Clinical Operations Lead role.
Together, the three have a staggering 86 years of experience in clinical care and are keen to pass on words of wisdom to young women who may be interested in joining the healthcare sector.
Michelle Webb is leaving her post as Director of Patient Care Services in the next week and will take up the brand-new role of Deputy Chief Executive in early April.
Michelle says: “I have been a nurse since 1983 with numerous degrees and qualifications under my belt. In my long career I have taken on clinical and leadership roles, but the bottom line is I am very proud to be a nurse. I think hospice care exemplifies the best nursing that care can offer, by providing very personalised and holistic care to patients and their families.
“I am proud of what I achieved in the role I’m now moving on from, including supporting the Hospice to get an ‘Outstanding’ rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and making improvements in our clinical care. In my new role I will be developing strategies and delivering innovation to ensure the best in Hospice care can be offered to the people of Lincolnshire.”
In her personal life Michelle is a car enthusiast, who enjoys driving and maintaining two classic cars with her sons and husband. She loves spending time with her whole family including her precious granddaughter, the family dog Cocoa and cheeky cat Flora.
“My advice to young women is: Never give up on a career aspiration or dream. Remember, believe what you can do, and you are halfway there!”
Rebecca Franks is taking over from Michelle as Director of Patient Care Services after working for a year as Senior Clinical Service Manager.
Rebecca studied nursing at University of Nottingham and has a Master’s degree in Law, as well as an advanced clinical practitioner qualification. She has extensive experience working in GP practices, prisons, sexual health and walk-in centres, A&E and out of hours care.
Rebecca says: “In my role it’s so important to be aware of what’s going on across all teams, this way we can act quickly to best support our patients. I work on future planning of St Barnabas services and their delivery, as well as reviewing our activities, being out with the staff and I usually drink lots of cups of tea!
“I am proud of my achievements in my career with St Barnabas so far, these include strengthening and recruiting to the clinical team in North East Lincolnshire and supporting nurses on university modules to develop their clinical skills and practice.”
Rebecca is more than a fantastic asset to the St Barnabas team, she also is very talented in other ways; she plays the harp, flute, and piano (though she added ‘badly’ to the latter) and loves to play tennis. She can often be found on the edge of a rugby pitch watching her daughter participate and on top of all that, busy bee Rebecca and her husband also run their own florist business.
“My advice to young women is: Do what you feel in your heart to be right, do it with courage and do it with integrity. Believe in yourself, share your experience and knowledge widely and put yourself forward in your career for what interests and excites you.”
Emma Wheatley is a new face at St Barnabas, having started in February, but she certainly is not green in the ways of clinical care.
She has held senior leadership positions within the NHS for the last 13 years, after starting as an Occupational Therapy Support Worker in 1999 and working her way up.
Emma says: “As I get settled into my role, I will be providing support and leadership to the clinical nursing and Allied Health professional teams across the county.
“Hospice care allows people to have the most dignified and person-centred care at the time it matters the most, and St Barnabas understands that everyone has individual needs and wishes. Everyone I work with goes above and beyond every single day and I am very grateful to be part of such a fabulous organisation.”
Emma has a lot of interests outside of her passion for clinical care, including spending time with her friends and family, especially her grandson, taking holidays to any hot destination, as well as keeping fit in the gym.
“My advice to young women everywhere is: You can be whoever you want to be. There’s no set journey and it may take a while to get to where you want but enjoy your time and be yourself!”
If you are inspired to work for St Barnabas Hospice, take a look at the current vacancies on our website: www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/careers/vacancies
Much anticipated Morriston Orpheus Choir concert big success for St Barnabas
On Saturday 4th March, the world-famous Morriston Orpheus Choir performed at Lincoln Cathedral for the fourth time in support of St Barnabas Hospice, raising £27,500 in ticket sales and generous donations by the concert attendees on the night.
The performance was part of the 40th anniversary celebrations for St Barnabas, which was established as the first Lincolnshire hospice care charity in 1982.
Lincoln Cathedral’s beautiful architecture certainly added to the joyous atmosphere on the night, with the Choir performing on a stage erected within the historic Nave.
Conal Bembridge–Sayers, Musical Director at the Morriston Orpheus Choir said: “It is wonderful to be here and perform for supporters of hospice care, which is such an important cause.
“I am especially excited, as my grandfather spent his childhood here. He was born in Ireland and was brought up in Lincoln, before moving to Wales as an adult. It’s my first time visiting Lincoln and being able to perform in the Cathedral, which he will of course have seen many times, is very special to me.
“If you can support St Barnabas further, for instance by donating or volunteering, I highly suggest you do, it can mean a world of difference to the people you will be helping.”
The Choir’s setlist comprised of traditional and original songs in Welsh and English, with some audience members visibly moved by the emotional pieces. There were also plenty of smiles and laughs during the more light-hearted songs including ‘Be our Guest’ from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Morriston Choir were joined onstage by soloist Rachel Roper who recently won the prestigious MOCSA Young Welsh Singer of the Year Award, and the local Lincoln Male Voice Choir who performed three songs including the Dambusters March.
Chris Wheway, Chief Executive at St Barnabas, said in his speech: “By being here tonight, you are making a difference to over 12,000 Lincolnshire people that we support every year. That’s families in your community, who we are honoured to care for. Your support means everything to us, and we couldn’t do it without you.”
St Barnabas would like to thank all the local music lovers who attended the performance, the members of Morriston Orpheus Choir and Lincoln Male Voice Choir, Rachel Roper, and all staff and volunteers who helped run the event.
With special thanks to long-time supporter and Lincoln Male Voice Choir member Keith Hebblewhite who at the end of the concert was presented with a gift. Keith organised for the Choir to support the Hospice with their first performance in 2003 and has been instrumental in the three following Morriston Orpheus Choir concerts.
To find out more about St Barnabas Hospice and to support the cause, visit: www.StBarnabasHospice.co.uk
Photography by Jorj Malinowski and David Chapman of Lincoln Camera Club
How playing the St Barnabas Spring Raffle supports patients
With a top prize of £2,023 to be drawn at the end of March, the Spring Raffle by St Barnabas gives players more than the chance to win great prizes; it supports patients with life-limiting and terminal illnesses all around the county.
Every year, the charity supports over 12,000 people who are suffering from conditions such as cancer, heart failure, motor neurone disease and Parkinson’s, among others.
Patients are cared for in their own homes, within the Inpatient Unit in Lincoln and in Grantham’s Hospice in the Hospital. St Barnabas also hosts coffee mornings and support groups in their Wellbeing Centres, which can be found in various locations around the county.
Tracy Atkins is a Health and Rehabilitation Support Worker at the Inpatient Unit and sees the difference that St Barnabas makes every day.
She says: “A common misconception about our care is that it’s about death, but we see it as being about living. Whether it’s years, months, weeks, or days, we want our patients to be able to continue to be themselves for as long as possible and live their life to the fullest.
“We do this not just by providing vital medical care, but also physiotherapy, equipment to help with mobility, and we can even give advice about the benefits patients are entitled to. We can also give emotional and spiritual support including counselling, spiritual care and bereavement support to patients, their families, friends and carers.
“Our mission is to continue supporting communities around Lincolnshire and give our free, compassionate care to those who need it. We have recently celebrated our 40th anniversary and to continue for many years to come, we need your help.
“By playing our Spring Raffle for just one pound per ticket, you will be supporting clinical staff like myself to give care to those in your community, and of course the prizes are very worthy too!”
The first prize of £2,023 would be a massive boost; it could pay for a holiday, home improvements or simply pay off some bills. The second prize is £500, third prize £250 and five instances of £50 are up for grabs too.
The raffle will be drawn on Wednesday 29th March, with entries closing the Friday before, 24th March. Sign up for the Spring Raffle by visiting the St Barnabas website.
The Warehouse celebrates a hugely successful first year
St Barnabas Hospice’s flagship charity shop The Warehouse in uphill Lincoln is celebrating its first year in business on 10th February, and what a year it’s been – over 120,000 items were sold, generating £410,000 in sales, which goes towards supporting hospice care.
With over 5,000 square feet of shopping space, The Warehouse is choc-a-bloc with great items at low prices, including clothing, homeware, furniture, vinyl records, books and much more.
You will also find a display unit highlighting items currently on auction on the St Barnabas eBay shop, as well as racks of pre-loved, branded vintage items on Depop.
Emma-Jayne Parker, manager at The Warehouse, says: “We have been blown away by the incredible support given to us since we first opened our doors. People of all ages and interests visit us and find great bargains, and it’s not just those who live locally, but also further away in Lincolnshire.
“We have many regulars coming to The Warehouse to browse our thousands of items, as the stock is constantly changing thanks to the high-quality donations we receive. If you would like to drop off donations, you can book a slot online via our Book & Bring system so we know when to expect your items.
“I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has made our first year such a success, including all donors, shoppers, staff, and of course our brilliant volunteers. We couldn’t run this shop without them, and they have given us over 4,000 hours of their time in the past 12 months.
“We are always looking for more volunteers who can help us sort through donations, put items on the shop floor or man the tills. It’s so much fun, we’ve got a great team here and each volunteer can choose in which area they would like to work.
“We’d love to hear from anyone over the age of 14 with a can-do attitude, who would like to gain new skills, meet new people, and support their local Hospice.”
If you are interested in volunteering, you can sign up via the St Barnabas website here: www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/get-involved/volunteer
The Warehouse opened in February 2022, after months of renovations to the former donation sorting point for all of St Barnabas Hospice’s shops around the county. The charity’s ambitious plans to open its biggest shop have paid off, and it is designed with sustainability and accessibility in mind.
Caroline Peach, Head of Retail says: “Sustainability is key, sometimes we receive low quality items which we can’t sell but we don’t just dispose of them; these items get recycled. This year we’ve recycled over 38,000 kilos of unsellable stock, saving huge amounts of items from going to landfill and supporting the circular economy.
“It is very important to us that our shops are accessible for everyone, and we made sure that The Warehouse has extra wide walkways, ramp access, and smooth flooring across the store for the best shopping experience.
“We’re also very proud of the success of Gift Aid, a government initiative where for every £1 we generate in sales in our shops, we can claim an extra 25p from HMRC at no extra cost to the customer. Through this scheme, this year we’ve raised an extra £14,000 for Hospice care from The Warehouse alone. When people drop off donations, they can let us know they would like to participate, we just need a quick minute to set this up and it really helps your donations go even further.
“We are so very grateful to everyone who has supported us in this past year, and we can’t wait to see what this upcoming year will bring for The Warehouse. Make sure to come by soon and see the shop for yourself!”
You can find out more about The Warehouse, including the Book & Bring donation system and volunteering opportunities, by visiting: www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/shop/warehouse