Category: Stories

Every day for the last 17 years, I’ve witnessed the level of care given by St Barnabas. I always say we employ compassionate people who happen to have healthcare skills. But it doesn’t matter what job we do at the hospice, patients and their families are the number one priority for every one of us.

We’re always thinking about how we can help make care even better through our role. From me in the finance team making our money and skills go further, to the cleaners going the extra mile to keep everything sterile, to the chief executive talking to the government about funding.

Although my role has changed quite a bit over the years, helping our care team provide even better support has stayed at the heart. Today, my job is about the processes and systems that make us more efficient – tweaking out every last penny to provide a better service, and reallocating funds to where they’re needed to give the very best care.

It’s not how you’d imagine a traditional accountant role, and I think that shows how forward-thinking St Barnabas is. Extending the Hospice at Home service, introducing Admiral nurse support for people with dementia and delivering end-of-life educational services to healthcare professionals outside of the hospice – they all demonstrate our determination to keep improving care.

That’s how I know my gift will be put to the best use for patients and families across our county. I also know that if St Barnabas weren’t around, this kind of support wouldn’t be either.

Being privy to the hospice’s finances, I know how hard funding cuts have hit. A dependable income is more important than ever, and leaving a gift in my Will is my way of giving St Barnabas something to rely on. Also, because I’ve chosen to let the hospice decide how the money is used, I know it’ll be spent on what’s most important for patient care at the time.

It doesn’t matter how much each of us leaves – or if we leave items like jewellery that can be sold in our shops, I know firsthand it’ll all be used to make a big difference, and that’s what matters.

Thank you to Sue, and all our legators. Your legacy will continue through the care you’ll make possible in years to come.

To find out more about leaving A Gift For Generations, please visit: Make a Will with St Barnabas Hospice

Giving someone a dignified death is the most important thing anyone can do, and that’s what St Barnabas does. I work in one of the St Barnabas Hospice shops, and every day, I feel so proud to be helping put money where it needs to go – to hospice care. If you cut me in half like a stick of rock, you’d see ‘St Barnabas’ running right through me! The hospice means everything to me.

Customers often tell me how wonderful the care team were looking after their loved ones. And I remind everyone I work with that we’re not just selling clothes or books, we’re helping take care of local families. But it’s not just the staff and volunteers – we’re all in this together.

When someone buys a £5 jumper, it’s £5 towards pain relief to help someone be comfortable at home or a home-cooked meal for a patient in the hospice. No matter how you support St Barnabas, it’s something to be extremely proud of.

I’ll never forget a friend telling me how lovely it was visiting her son in the hospice. She told me he was so well looked after, and it gave her such comfort to see him happy before he passed. And I think that says it all. If your loved one is peaceful at the end of their life, what more can you ask for?

To be cared for with kindness. To be as free from pain as possible. To be somewhere that feels like home, with your family beside you. That’s the kind of care I’d want for my family, and for me too. And that’s what the hospice gives people. Without St Barnabas, we’d lose it all. We can’t let that happen.

That’s why I think it’s up to us all to help keep St Barnabas going. One way we can do that is by leaving a gift in our Will. If all of us leave something – even something small – we’ll help local families like ours get the care they need when they need it most.

Knowing I’ll still be helping the hospice even when I’m not here anymore feels amazing. And I’ll live on through my gift too.

Thank you to Debbie, and all our legators. Your legacy will continue through the care you’ll make possible in years to come.

To find out more about leaving A Gift For Generations, please visit: Make a Will with St Barnabas Hospice

Before St Barnabas, Richard’s pain was unbearable. And the only respite he got was with powerful pain medication. But that meant he wasn’t with it for much of the time. It was so upsetting to see him in such pain and then in less pain, but not himself.

Emotionally, it was incredibly difficult. Physically, it was starting to take its toll too. Because Richard needed help moving around, everyday things like getting him to the bathroom were becoming impossible. And I wasn’t managing very well.

Still, when a nurse told us there was a place for him at the hospice if we wanted it, I didn’t think we were at that stage yet. We weren’t ready for end-of-life care.

Then she explained how the hospice team are expert at managing pain, and I didn’t need any more convincing. I drove Richard to the hospice that afternoon. And thank goodness I did.

The morning after arriving at St Barnabas, and for the first time in weeks, Richard was alert, calm and comfortable. He’d not eaten properly for days, and he’d finally had some food. He was even sitting up, having a laugh with the nurses!

For the entire five weeks Richard was in the hospice, the nurses couldn’t do enough for him. They’d sit and chat whenever he wanted. And he loved telling them about the places we’d been – showing them the photo albums I’d brought in for him to reminisce.

The team are amazing, and so accommodating. They made visiting so easy – friends could pop in whenever they wanted, and I spent every day with Richard, even taking our dog along to visit.

Still, it was reassuring to know he had other company too. Because there were days I found harder than others, and I’d just sit quietly with him. On those days, the nurses would always make time for a chat with me if I wanted to talk. And I’d leave feeling that bit better.

The relationship Richard struck with the staff meant a lot to both of us. And unbeknown to me, Richard asked them all to sign his favourite grumpy old man t-shirt! It was incredibly emotional discovering it on Christmas Day when I collected his things. Everyone had taken the time to write on it, and it was covered in the most wonderful messages. While I still find it hard to look at, it’s something I’ll always treasure.

We met the warmest and most caring people at the hospice, who treated us like family. The care St Barnabas gives should be the gold standard for end-of-life care everywhere.

St Barnabas is vital to our community – a safety net for us all. Yet it’s only through the kindness of local people that it can carry on. I feel happy knowing that Richard and I are doing some good with our money.

Thank you to Gill, and all our legators. Your legacy will continue through the care you’ll make possible in years to come.

To find out more about leaving A Gift For Generations, please visit: Make a Will with St Barnabas Hospice

It was thanks to the wonderful team at St Barnabas that my partner John was able to spend his final weeks at home, just as we wanted. No matter what needed sorting, they’d say, “Don’t worry” – and I didn’t have to.

From the first time John stayed at St Barnabas to the team’s support at home during the last three months of his life, it was obvious just how much everyone at the hospice truly cares. They took care of so many practical things I didn’t have the time or headspace to deal with, like arranging the right equipment to keep John comfortable and helping me with paperwork so we could have help from carers.

In those last few months, John could no longer get out of bed. Fortunately, I was fit enough to still care for him at home, and I feel incredibly thankful. But the prostate cancer had spread to his bones, including his skull, and the pressure on his brain caused symptoms similar to dementia. It meant I couldn’t leave his side without him becoming distressed – not even when the carers popped in for 15 minutes.

Friends were supportive, but there was little they could do. Without any family for help, day-to-day things like showering and shopping became increasingly difficult. And there was no way I could meet up with a friend for some respite. So I never left the house and rarely saw anyone. It was emotionally and physically exhausting – and incredibly isolating.

Over time, I lost myself and felt like I was just John’s carer. But for a few times a week, the St Barnabas team made me feel like more than that.

Of course, their care for John was always the priority, making sure he was comfortable and not in pain. But they never forgot about me either. Because John felt safe with them, they gave me precious time to myself so I could call a friend or take a shower.

Sometimes I just rested. If I got two hours of uninterrupted sleep through the night, I was doing well, and tiredness took its toll. Sometimes, when John was sleeping during their visits, they’d sit and talk to me. It was nice to have a normal conversation, one that wasn’t about medication or how the night had gone.

The end of John’s life would have been so much harder for both of us if St Barnabas hadn’t been there. The team didn’t just care for John’s health – they looked after every detail. I still can’t believe they arranged for the fire service to check our house was safe before John came home.

St Barnabas gave us the support we couldn’t get anywhere else. It’s the kind of care I’m sure everyone would hope for at the end of their life or a loved one’s.

So it’s sad that something as necessary must be run as a charity – especially as costs are always rising. The thought that someone might miss out on such care in their final weeks or days because the hospice isn’t there is horrifying.

That’s why leaving a gift in my Will gives me great comfort, knowing I can help someone else benefit the way we did. A little bit really does go a long way, and if we all leave what we can, it will add up.

Thank you to Margaret, and all our legators. Your legacy will continue through the care you’ll make possible in years to come.

To find out more about leaving A Gift For Generations, please visit: Make a Will with St Barnabas Hospice