Category: Hospice News

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam Opens New £1 Million Wellbeing Centre in Boston

England’s former Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, opened the new St Barnabas Hospice Wellbeing Centre in his hometown on June 8th.

St Barnabas Hospice has formally opened its Wellbeing Centre in Boston. What used to be a fading bungalow unfit for purpose is now a beautiful sanctuary that offers space to relax, socialise, and attend appointments for St Barnabas patients and their families in the south of Lincolnshire.

The new centre has both treatment and therapy rooms as well as a garden room where exercise sessions and counselling can take place. Unlike St Barnabas’ Inpatient units in Lincoln and Grantham, this building has no beds but offers patients who have been diagnosed with life-limiting illnesses a place to access well-being support and helps patients to live well for longer.

The building is named Novak House after local philanthropist Stefan Novak. He left almost £500,000 to St Barnabas as a legacy gift in his will in 2019 after his wife was cared for by a hospice in London. The total build and renovation costs for the wellbeing centre totalled £1 million and wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of almost 900 local people who gave to our Wellbeing Hub Appeal – Thank you.The Wellbeing Centre in Boston, with red and sandstone bricks, solar panels on roof, tarmac road

Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam said: “It is really going to be an improvement for people of the Boston area, and I’m very proud to be associated with it. Thank you to all the benefactors, the big ones and the small ones. You’ve all made an enormous difference.

“I also hope that the centre goes from strength to strength and really becomes an important kind of beacon of hope in the community in the years that come.”

Chief Executive, Chris Wheway, said: “Novak house, to me, is a tremendous development for us as a hospice working in Boston. It’s about serving the people of Boston and providing high-quality end-of-life specialist palliative care.

“We provide all sorts of care, counselling, relaxation therapies, and physiotherapy and occupational health support, our hospice at home teams are based here and we also have consultant support from here and volunteer support, so there’s a tremendous amount of work that starts from this hub and then goes out into the community as well as people coming here.”

Head of Wellbeing Services, Mandy Irons, said: “Legacy donations are hugely important to us. We receive some funding for our care services, but it doesn’t cover all our costs. Without legacy funding and other donations, we simply would be unable to provide the services we do. We can’t thank the Novak family enough, you know, a profound thank you for what they have been able to create.”

The Hospice is hosting a public open day Wednesday 15th June from 10-2 pm. If you are from the Boston area and would like to access care from St Barnabas Hospice, you can contact them here.

Sisters Liberty and Matilda are taking on a 100km hiking challenge around the Lake District in memory of Grandma, Mary.

Sisters Liberty, 28 and Matilda Henry, 30 from Holbeach, Lincolnshire are taking on the challenge 100km around the Lake District in a loop, starting and finishing in Kendal, on 11th June. There will be hills, fields, paths, tracks and some of it around Lake Windermere.

“We have both always been sporty people, we did gymnastics from ages 3/4-18/19 and have played netball since secondary school! We’re also regular skiers/snowboarders too, but our advice to anyone, with any fitness level is – just do it!

“St Barnabas have been brilliant at keeping in contact and sending advice, tips for fundraising and general encouragement along the way. You won’t ever feel on your own with the training, so it’s the perfect way to get started.

“We have both supported St Barnabas for 8 years, since as a family we became aware of the Hospice when they helped our Grandma, Mary Harpham.

“Grandma was a one of a kind Lady; Loving, kind and outgoing! Baking was a passion and a skill she past on to every generation, from lemon to fruit cakes (with plenty of alcohol soaked in!). We all have very fond memories of days with Grandma and Grandad on their farm, cakes in the oven and playing with the dogs (St Bernard’s, Golden Retrievers and Jack Russell’s).

“Grandma’s health deteriorated quite quickly, which drastically impacted on all the family. She was the life and soul right to the end at 92 years of age. We had Hospice at Home nurses visit from St Barnabas caring and supporting grandma towards the end, which meant she could accomplish her final wish – to be at home with us “around her.

We won’t ever forget the relationship the nurses built with Grandma and the family. It was such a difficult time, but they made us all feel supported.”

The 11th of June also happens to be our 40th anniversary of providing hospice care to families of Lincolnshire who need it. Thank you so much ladies for choosing to support our Hospice in this milestone year, in memory of your Grandma, Mary.

Introducing St Barnabas’ new Dementia Service for families across Lincolnshire

It’s Dementia Action Week, which is the perfect opportunity to introduce Tom and Christina; two St Barnabas specialist nurses trained to support families living with the impact of dementia.

We would like to thank the Worth Waynflete Foundation who have funded Tom, our Lead Dementia Nurse for 2022/2023. This special donation ensures we can provide expert dementia clinical support for families with a person living with dementia. Mr Michael Worth, Chair of The Worth Waynflete Foundation states “With the increase in dementia patients being treated it is a pleasure to be of some help and I hope the services continue to thrive”

Tom and Christina will work with families to support everything from a persons general wellbeing to accessing therapy, and organise advanced care planning for the patient, which includes organising finances and final wishes.

Further information on the service will be available soon, but in the meantime please join us in thanking the Worth Waynflete Foundation for making this care possible.

 

St Barnabas’ Inpatient Unit temporarily closed for essential maintenance and improvement works.

St Barnabas Hospice’s Inpatient Unit on Nettleham Road, Lincoln is temporarily closed to undertake essential maintenance and improvement works. Construction is planned to complete by mid-October and reopening for patients and families in November 2022.

During the construction works, St Barnabas will remain committed to continuing to provide outstanding care to our patients and their families. Our clinical staff will be redeployed to work in the community alongside our existing community services or other inpatient settings across the county.

St Barnabas Hospice Lincolnshire is one of the largest charities in the county, supporting more than 10,500 patient and families each year. The charity provides Inpatient support and community care through Wellbeing Centres in Lincoln, Boston, Spalding, Louth, and Grantham. The remedial work is part of the Hospice’s long-term ambition to maintain high quality care for the people of Lincolnshire.

Michelle Webb, Director of Patient Care explains;

I am delighted that we have a confirmed date for these essential works to improve our patient and families experience at our Inpatient Unit in Lincoln. To be able to complete this work as efficiently and safely as possible, our care from the site will be paused until October 2022. We are working very closely with our contractor and project delivery team to minimise disruption to our patients, staff, and the wider healthcare community

 Everyone connected with the Hospice is committed to providing the best facilities and infrastructure for our patient, their families, and our staff. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to our fully refurbished unit in early autumn 2022.

 If you wish to make a referral during the closure period, please call our advice and referral line on 0300 020 0694

‘They Would Both Be Proud’ – Ebonie Runs St Barnabas Colour Dash In Memory of Nana

Ebonie Barker from Skegness, is taking part in the Colour Dash event, being held at the Lincolnshire Showground on Saturday 14th May to thank the Hospice for caring for her Nana in 2018.

Ebonie says: “Due to the incredible work they provide day in and day out for their patients, I wanted to run the Colour Dash this year for St Barnabas. The Hospice took such wonderful care of my lovely Nana, Grace Barker, and I always feel honoured to take part in these events to try and give something back.

“I am also taking part in the Colour Dash to also remember my beautiful Grandad, Brian Holdsworth. I know they would both be proud to see me taking part in such fantastic events to help raise money for people who need it the most.”

The Colour Dash event is back for a sixth year and promises to be bigger and better than ever before. This year, St Barnabas Hospice celebrates its 40th birthday. To honour the occasion, the Hospice has brought back the popular event with more paint powder than ever before and a goal of raising £150,000 for patient care.

Ebonie is hoping to raise more than £400 in total, with an initial target of £200 via her JustGiving page.

Ebonie added: “I always like taking part in fundraising, especially when it’s such a good cause. My family supports the Hospice all year round; we play the lottery and take part in the raffles too. We also attend the Torchlight Procession every year to remember our loved ones. When we stand outside the Hospice and the band plays ‘Amazing Grace’ it is so touching. ”

To find out more about the Colour Dash or to register to take part, visit: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/colourdash/

St Barnabas Hospice is ranked second best charity to work for across the whole of the UK

Lincolnshire based charity, St Barnabas Hospice, has been ranked as the number two charity to work for across the UK, beating many national organisations to this lucrative position.

Best Companies award their accreditations based on BCI scores, which are generated by an independent b-Heard staff survey taken by people up and down the UK. The survey measures various factors in the workplace, including management, personal growth, giving something back and more.

St Barnabas Hospice’s second place charity ranking has risen thirteen places in the space of a year, with the Hospice positioned higher than national charities such as PDSA, Youth Sport Trust and The Charity for Civil Servants. It places them as an ‘Outstanding’ organisation to work for, for the second year in a row.

As well as their success on the charity list, St Barnabas has also ranked as the seventh best company across the East Midlands and the twenty-seventh best large company in the whole of the UK. Both of these accolades take all sectors into account, not just charities.

St Barnabas Hospice was established in 1982, and is this year celebrating its 40th anniversary. The workforce of 283 staff members is made up of 87% females, with over 40% of staff having stayed with the charity for more than five years.

The survey found that 91% of staff agreed their team is fun to work with, with 78% agreeing that the experience they gain from their job is valuable for the future.

Lisa Phillips, Associate Director of People and Education said, “We are over the moon to have achieved such fantastic rankings in this year’s Best Companies league tables, and these are a credit to the work we have done as a collective to ensure staff are looked after and listened to.

“We have just launched our workforce strategy and in particular we want to focus on our inclusion and diversity, our engagement and our wellbeing workstreams. This is all going to help continue to make St Barnabas an outstanding place to work. Our workforce is at the heart of what we do, and ensuring they are happy, supported and engaged with their work is our upmost priority – it’s also something we enjoy doing too!”

St Barnabas Hospice currently has a variety of vacancies as they look to expand their teams following the pandemic. With the charity celebrating its 40th birthday this year, it really is an exciting time to join the workforce. Visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/careers to find out more.

Twelve ways to cope at Christmas following a bereavement

St Barnabas Hospice has put together a helpful guide for those coping with a bereavement this Christmas.

Local charity, St Barnabas Hospice, knows that Christmas can be an especially difficult time for those going through a bereavement. Whether this is your first Christmas after a bereavement, or you were bereaved some time ago, the Hospice has provided twelve helpful ways to cope this year.

Mandy Irons, Head of Wellbeing at St Barnabas Hospice, said: “We understand how painful this time of year can be and would like to share our tips for coping with bereavement at Christmas. We provide free, local support throughout the year for all adults in the community who may be struggling with a bereavement, regardless of whether they have accessed our services or not.

“Many people tell us they find some relief from attending our bereavement groups, through talking to other people who are grieving and sharing their feelings in a safe place. As well as bereavement groups, we are also able to support people through one-to-one counselling and follow-on friendship groups.”

The St Barnabas Hospice ten tips for coping with bereavement at Christmas are:

  1. Give yourself permission to cry or be emotional – it’s ok to show your feelings.
  2. Include the person in some way – perhaps light a candle or raise a toast. Visit stbarnabashospice.co.uk/lual to dedicate a light in memory of a loved one on their Tree of Life. They will send you a handwritten, personalised card and silver star tree decoration so you can include your loved one in Christmas celebrations and memories.
  3. Acknowledge that the holidays will be different, and they may be tough.
  4. Decide which traditions you want to keep and which you want to change. Think about creating a new tradition in memory of your loved one.
  5. Be honest. Tell people what you DO want to do and what you DON’T want to do and spend time with people who support you with this.
  6. Decide where you want to spend Christmas. Remember that the way others will want to spend the holiday may not match how you want to spend it. We all grieve differently and that’s ok.
  7. Don’t feel guilty: about declining invitations or skipping events, it may just feel too much; If you have not sent cards this year, writing a card without a loved one can be difficult; If you skip or minimise the decorations.
  8. Ignore the people that tell you what you “should” be doing. Listen to yourself, trust yourself, communicate with your family and do what feels right for you.
  9. Practice self care: Watch your food intake, food can make you feel better in the short term but don’t allow it to become your Christmas comfort; Alcohol can heighten emotions and may raise anxiety levels so be careful how much you consume; Go for a walk; Take time out to yourself if you need too.
  10. Ask for and accept help.  There will be people who want to help and may offer their support.  Take them up on their offers. If people aren’t offering, ask. It can be a relief for you and the person who you have asked for help.
  11. Enjoy yourself! The holidays will be tough, but there will also be love and joy.
  12. Remember, it is okay to be happy – this doesn’t diminish how much you love and miss the person who isn’t there this Christmas. Don’t feel guilty for the joy you do find this holiday season.

 

The St Barnabas Hospice Wellbeing team are here to provide free support to people coping with a bereavement across Lincolnshire, regardless of whether their loved one received hospice care or not. To refer yourself to this service, call 0300 020 0694. For this Christmas period, this line is open Friday 24th December, Wednesday 29th December, Thursday 30th December, Friday 31st December and Tuesday 4th January, 11am – 3pm.

 

If you are in need of bereavement support outside of those hours, please use these services:

“The staff went above and beyond to make her peaceful that Christmas, dimming the lights and placing special lanterns at the end of each patient’s bed.”

Donna Fellows is a Clinical Administrator working at the St Barnabas Hospice Inpatient Unit in Lincoln. When she is not working at the Hospice, she is the landlady at the Queen in the West pub! Her pub was one of the first to sign up to the Hospice’s brand-new Pub Quiz initiative to help raise more money for patients, just like the ones cared for by her team.

The Queen in the West has an extra special connection to the Hospice as Donna’s mum Glenis, who was also a landlady in the West End of Lincoln, was cared for in the Inpatient Unit in 2019 and 2020 before she sadly died.

Donna said, “Mum was diagnosed with bowel cancer, which had a devastating effect on the family. The disease was cruel, and the mum we knew and loved completely changed in the last eighteen months of her life. Seeing her suffer was awful, especially when we knew she was in constant pain.

“As Christmas approached, her symptoms increased, and we could see the pain getting worse. That’s when it was suggested for her to go St Barnabas Inpatient Unit. The team there were just wonderful. They reviewed her medication, reassured us all and gave us time to talk about Mum’s illness and the impact it was having on all the family.

“On Christmas Eve we brought Mum home for our traditional family meal, but she was absolutely exhausted by the time we dropped her back off at the Hospice. The staff went above and beyond to make her peaceful that Christmas, dimming the lights and placing special lanterns at the end of each patient’s bed. It was such a gentle, beautiful moment and we all shed a tear knowing that it would be Mum’s last Christmas.

“In her years working behind the bar at her pub and when she visited my pub, Mum adored pub quizzes. She would always help teams out with answers and particularly enjoyed the 60s music round.

“It felt only right that Mum’s story was used for the launch of a campaign based in a pub. We will be holding ours at the Queen in the West early next year, and I hope lots of our friends and regulars come out to join us.

“Mum would be so pleased to see that we are doing this in her honour, and to thank the wonderful people at St Barnabas who cared for her in her hour of need.”

Pubs and social clubs across Lincolnshire are now invited to sign up to host a St Barnabas Hospice Pub Quiz. It is completely free to sign up and each establishment will receive a pack including branded beer mats, quiz sheet, collection pot and posters. Their quiz night will also feature on the Hospice’s website.

To sign up free of charge, visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/pubquiz

OVER 1,000 PEOPLE JOIN TO WALK IN MEMORY OF LOVED ONES AT TORCHLIGHT PROCESSION

Yesterday’s Torchlight Procession saw over 1,000 people walking in memory of loved ones, raising much-needed money for St Barnabas Hospice.

 

Last night, over 1,000 people came out into the night for the St Barnabas Hospice Torchlight Procession. They walked shoulder-to-shoulder in memory of loved ones whilst carrying flaming torches. This is part of the Hospice’s Light up a Life campaign which sees supporters dedicating lights in memory of loved ones each Christmas.

To date, this year’s Light up a Life campaign has raised over £30,000 with around £4,000 more coming in from donations and sales of torches and lanterns last night.

The procession, which was the first mass participation event held by the Hospice in two years, was led by Steve Norton, a St Barnabas Hospice supporter who walked in memory of his parents: Margaret, a former St Barnabas volunteer, and John.

Steve said,

 

“Mum absolutely adored the Torchlight Procession that St Barnabas organises each Christmas. When my dad was being cared for in the Hospice, the Procession stopped outside and played ‘Amazing Grace’ for the patients to hear. It really lifted his spirits, and I know it will have done the same for many others through the years.

 

“The year before she died, Mum was asked to share Dad’s story as part of the Hospice’s Light up a Life campaign, and this made her so proud. I feel humbled to now be sharing Mum’s story this year and have dedicated two extra special lights to remember them both.”

 

The procession walked just under a mile past the St Barnabas Hospice Inpatient Unit, through the iconic Bailgate and arrived at Lincoln Cathedral. A small service took place in which the lights on the Tree of Life were lit whilst the choir sang ‘May the Road Rise to Meet You’.

Louise Cotton, Event Lead for the Torchlight Procession, said:

 

“On behalf of everyone at St Barnabas Hospice, I would like to say what an amazing evening we had at this year’s Torchlight Procession. The community came together to remember loved ones in a beautiful way and the weather was perfect.

 

“A huge thank you goes to all of our volunteers, runners and stewards who supported the event in various ways and to the community for joining us. There was also an incredible amount of local businesses that offered their support. Thanks go to Doddington Hall & Gardens, Allen Signs, Lincoln Cathedral, Our Lady of Lincoln Church, City of Lincoln Council Maintenance Services, Continental Landscapes, S. Lyon & Son Haulage Ltd., BBC Radio Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire Police, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, the RAF Waddington Pipe Band, TSS Events, Taylor Lindsey, Stamford Sound Hire, Bates Sound, Flying Hire Ltd, Lindum Rotary Club, Lincoln Christ’s Hospital School, NatWest, Annie Griffith and her Community Choirs, Chevron Traffic Management Ltd, Mr and Mrs N Kirk, DPS Digital , St. Mary Magdalene’s, Lincolnshire Co-op, Davis Trackhire, Steve Norton and family, The Subdean and Chapter of Lincoln Cathedral, , Lincoln BIG, Community 4×4 Response, SRP Hire Solutions, Highways and Planning.

 

“The Tree of Life will be outside The Lincoln Cathedral until Wednesday 5th January and we welcome members of the public to visit and spend a quiet moment remembering their loved one. We heard some amazing stories and there were some truly wonderful people being remembered last night.”

 

Those who were unable to attend the event are still able to dedicate a light on the Tree of Life online or watch the live streams on Facebook at a later date. There is also a pre-recorded service available from the St Barnabas website.

Visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/lual to dedicate a light in your loved one’s memory or view the pre-recorded service.

 

St Barnabas kick-start our 40th Anniversary celebrations by launching the HeART Trail, Lincolnshire’s biggest Art Trail yet

Yesterday afternoon, local artists and businesses gathered together to celebrate the launch of the HeART Trail which will run during summer 2022.

2022/23 is an important milestone for St Barnabas Hospice as we celebrate our 40th anniversary of providing end-of-life and palliative care to the people of Lincolnshire. Recent art trails have taken place in Lincoln, but the Hospice has ambitious plans to take over the whole of Lincolnshire with the HeART Trail, making it more accessible for the communities we support.

Artists, both professional and amateur, local and national, are invited to submit their designs to be part of the trail. Sponsors will select either a finished design or an artist with whom they would like to work. The artists will then be commissioned to create their design during April and May.

We are encouraging local businesses to ‘have heart’ and sponsor a sculpture to celebrate the 40th anniversary. Unlike other trails, once a company sponsors a heart, it will be theirs to keep once the trail is finished. Sponsors also benefit from great brand exposure, networking opportunities, increased corporate social responsibility, staff engagement and team building opportunities. Sponsors will select their chosen design in March 2022.

We aim to raise much needed funds and put Lincolnshire on the map as the ‘Place to Visit in 2023.’ As well as raising money and awareness for the Hospice, there will be a Young at HeART Trail to engage with children across the county. It will be as inclusive as possible, with each school or community group being paired with a local artist and given the tools to produce their very own heart sculpture.

Veronica McBain, Head of Fundraising and Lottery at St Barnabas Hospice said, “The plans for our 40th anniversary are very ambitious, and we want to use the year as a celebration of the incredible growth we have achieved, as well as the supporters who have helped us get here. We are bringing this special trail to the people of Lincolnshire with the aim of it being more inclusive than ever before. We want you to join us and be part of the most significant Lincolnshire tourism and community marketing campaign for 2022, whilst raising much-needed funds for your local Hospice.

“I want to say a personal thank you to Lincoln BIG, Lincolnshire Showground, Lincolnshire Agricultural Society, Waterside Shopping Centre and S. Lyon & Son Haulage for coming on board already as partners for the trail. We are looking forward to working alongside them next year, as well as other local businesses who come on board as heart sponsors.”

Artists and businesses looking to get involved in the Trail can find more information at www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/hearttrail. Please send any questions to veronica.mcbain@stbarnabashospice.co.uk.