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Blog: A walk to remember

The 7.5 miles walked by over 2,000 men earlier this month was an opportunity for men of all ages to join together in memory of loved ones lost, walking, talking and sharing.

The day was particularly poignant for Martin Jones from Plymstock, who was walking for his wife Jenny, who sadly died just five days before.

A wonderful woman, partner, soulmate and friend, Jenny, 76, was a nurse who worked at St Luke’s from its very early days at Syrena House. The couple actually met at St Luke’s 35 years ago when Martin was a volunteer and Jen was working at our specialist unit at Turnchapel. Since then, the pair have volunteered together at our Plymstock Broadway charity shop, with their daughter Jackie following in her mother’s footsteps and also joining the St Luke’s team.

Before her death, Jenny was cared for at home by St Luke’s Urgent Care Service team, giving her comfort and dignity in her final days. While it was a big step accepting the help, Martin describes it as one of the best decisions they ever made bringing back some dignity for her, which for her was massively important.

Martin, a retained firefighter with Plymstock Fire Station, has been a regular at our Men’s Day Out over the years and despite losing Jenny just days before, he knew that it was important to honour her memory, while using it as an opportunity to speak freely with others who really understand the pain of loss.

“Jen passed early Monday morning and this walk was the following Saturday and I’ve got to admit I woke up in the morning, looked outside and thought no I’m not going, I can’t do this,” Martin explains.

“But then I had a bit of reflection back on it. I thought no Jen and I had talked about it, I do it every year. Just days before she said, ‘No, you go on it my love, you do the walk, you do it every year. I’ll still be here when you get back.’

“If you can talk about it, it can ease the pain. It won’t get rid of the pain but certainly hearing other stories from other gentlemen here, the pain will go. It won’t go completely but it will ease away.”

Jenny’s funeral will take place on her birthday, Thursday 30 March, at Yealmpton Woodland Burial. Friends of the family are more than welcome. For further information please contact Walter C Parson Funeral Directors in Plymstock.

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BLOG: Championing St Luke’s quest for integrated care that works

Integrated care is a hot topic throughout the health and social care world. From GPs to hospitals, community care to voluntary groups, there’s a common focus on how different agencies can work together to deliver the needs and wishes of each individual patient, in an effective and timely way.

Every day we hear about strains in the overall system and stories of people suffering unnecessarily across the UK. At St Luke’s we’ve taken to heart the part we can play in that bigger picture, and we now have our own dedicated integrated care facilitators whose aim is to secure the best and most fluent pathways for every patient who is referred to us, as end of life specialists.

The challenge Sara and Sam have taken on is to build on existing and potential strengths to benefit all our patients and their families. Whether that’s helping to create a seamless transition between the three strands of St Luke’s compassionate expert care – in hospital, in people’s homes and in our specialist unit – or linking patients with social care providers and voluntary community organisations that can help in other ways, the idea is to break down barriers and make useful links and partnerships that really make a difference.

Their posts are at the centre of a two-year pilot scheme to identify, map out and build good relationships with all the health, social care and specialist providers – both professional and voluntary – available in St Luke’s wider catchment area, including supporters of Plymouth’s Compassionate Communities and Compassionate Friends initiatives. The idea is to arm Sara, Sam and their colleagues with as much contemporary information and as many connections as possible so they can champion terminally ill patients, help them achieve their preferred place of care and death, prevent unnecessary, undesired or prolonged hospital admissions, and find innovative solutions to smooth transitions.

Sara already has a solid grounding in end of life care from her five years as a health care assistant with St Luke’s Urgent Care Service (EoLUCS), and she also benefits from eight years working alongside paramedics on frontline emergency services.

She had a valuable personal insight earlier this year when a family member was cared for by St Luke’s. Sara explained: “What was lovely was that she was looked after by the St Luke’s Derriford team, then she came home and had fabulous involvement from the Clinical Nurse Specialist and a one-off visit from the Urgent Care Service (EoLUCS) team to get her comfortable, before moving into the hospice for her last weeks of life. She had fantastic care throughout. The teamwork between the three areas was great and really highlighted what we are trying to do.”

Sam, meanwhile, is employing the experience she gained in developing and streamlining services during her 11-year career as a therapy radiographer, both in the UK and New Zealand. She was drawn by the opportunity to make a real difference to patients and expand her field of experience and is taking courses in care planning with Plymouth City College. Since October and November, the women – both mothers with small children – have each been working in their new roles three days a week, crossing over on Wednesdays.

Any end of life journey can enter periods of improvement, as well as deterioration, along the way, and one of Sara and Sam’s most vital tasks is easing the transfer between St Luke’s and other services, making sure nobody slips through the net.

Their input is already having a positive effect for St Luke’s Urgent Care Service (EoLUCS) team and those they look after, enabling a much smoother flow between appropriate sources of care for patients and their families, making sure no one is left without the support they need, while cutting waiting lists and allowing more end of life patients to be seen earlier in their journeys.

Urgent Care Service Nurse Jo Davies said: “Having Sara and Sam here takes a lot of anxiety away from the families and from the urgent care team in the long run. In theory we should just stop visiting someone who no longer needs urgent care input, but where is the heart in that? But if we stay for a longer time, we are not looking after people on our waiting list.

“For example, before Sara and Sam were appointed, we had a patient living over on the moors who had stabilised, but we could not find a package of care for them because there was no alternative in their area. We were with that patient for a long time when our services were not actually needed. Because of that we had other patients we could not get to.”

When a patient’s symptoms are under control and their condition is stable, rather than deteriorating, the team can call on Sara and Sam to discuss, establish and source the practical or emotional help they need at that moment in time, always keeping the door open to return to St Luke’s care when appropriate.

Jo added: “Now that transition process is so much quicker, and we are better able to get to the people who are most in need. The level of care someone needs is not always clear cut, and you need a bit of time to assess what is going on. We can take them on, see how they are, and the patient and family feel immediately comforted and supported.”

Sara and Sam cite a recent example of a woman who was thought to be days away from death, but after home visits from the Urgent Care team her quality of life improved so much that she didn’t need the specialist service, but still needed to feel supported.

“If St Luke’s and Urgent Care were stepping back, although remaining in the background, it was important for us to find the right service she needed at the time. Now she needs Urgent Care again, so our job is to make that transition back easy too.”

Once someone is given a terminal diagnosis it can be difficult to navigate care and advice services and, in the future, the ICF team would like to be involved in these early stages of a patient’s journey.

“We’d like to be there and explain that they can have a lot of help, but it might not always be from St Luke’s. They can call on voluntary organisations for things like transport or someone to do the shopping or pop in for a chat.”

Their aim to help patients and families feel supported from the first point of call with St Luke’s until the end of their own unique journey, recognises that many people won’t initially need the specialist care we offer, but they probably have wishes or desires that could be met by other providers locally, so the more contacts and information they have in their toolbox, the better.

Their growing knowledge includes accessing and developing links with NHS Continuing Healthcare and linking in with Personal Health Budgets (PBH), Adult Social Care and Personal Assistants (PA) allowing patients to have some choice around their care needs at end of life.

“We’ll be working out how a package of care is going to work for a patient, tying in our own care with other charities and organisations as well. It is really about catering for each individual,” they said.

“What care would work for them, what are their circumstances? People think that getting carers in is the only option, but they might only need a personal assistant once a day, and that could be a local volunteer.

“There is stuff we can’t help with, but we can find somebody who can. The first couple of months in this job was us contacting organisations and finding out what is available out there. Once you scratch the surface you realise there is a lot more help available than you realise and most people are unaware of it. There’s a big mix of small groups, especially in more rural communities, with people helping each other.”

Amongst these, Sara and Sam highlight the well-established Brentor and Moor Compassionate Neighbours as a really good model of neighbourhood support that works closely with St Luke’s.

“Their volunteers they do a lot of day sits for our patients and quite a bit of education on end of life in the community. But no group is too small for us to connect with.”

What people want could be something simple like someone needing a wheelchair, suitable transport and a Blue Badge so they can continue going to watch their favourite football team, or someone who would love the company of a visitor to talk to for an hour or two a day.

Sara and Sam’s referrals have been mostly internal so far, but they have recently had contact from GPs wanting to put their patients in touch. 

“We’re always happy to hear from groups in the community who can offer support to people with terminal diagnoses. We went to the Social Isolation Conference in Plymouth recently and met a lot of great organisations there. We’re keen to make as many links as we can.”

Jen Nicholls, Nurse Consultant and Head of Community Services, described the appointment of Sara and Sam as a great example of how St Luke’s as an organisation listens to its staff and cares about what is happening at the heart of the workforce.

She said: “The ICF role developed from a Community Team away day where the team identified a gap in provision. The role helps support people in having a choice at end of life by exploring all the available care and resources that are already within the community. This role complements the great work Judy Horne and Anne Dixon (Community Development) are already doing in developing a community where it is a compassionate place for everyone affected by death, dying and bereavement.

“By the ICFs working collaboratively with our partners, other stakeholders, and the voluntary sectors, we are striving to align with NHS England’s Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care: A national framework for local actions 2021-26, working towards the six identified ambitions of care. Most of all, that is supporting our patients and their families to have choice at the end of their life and support from a variety of services, developing the personalised individual care needs centred around the patients and their loved ones.”

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BLOG: Meaningful midnight miles will benefit local hospice care

Meaningful midnight miles will benefit local hospice care

St Luke’s iconic Midnight Walk is back for 2023, shining a light on precious memories of lost loved ones while supporting our compassionate care.

Hundreds of generous and caring walkers will be taking to the streets of the city wearing distinctive pink T-shirts on Friday 7 July in a poignant and colourful celebration remembering those family members and friends who are no longer with us.

Funds raised will help us continue our vital work providing specialist care for terminally ill people at home, in hospital and at our specialist unit at Turnchapel, as well as emotional support for their families.

Route options for 2023 – three miles, six miles, or 13.1 miles (the equivalent of a half marathon) – open up the walk to the whole family, from young children, teenagers and occasional strollers through to seasoned long-distance striders of all ages.

Entrants will leave from and return to Plymouth Argyle Football Club’s Home Park stadium, gathering as evening falls and setting off towards Derriford and beyond between 8pm and 9pm, depending on the distance you’re walking. This year a Reflection Mile at the beginning of the route will feature entrants’ words of remembrance about friends or family members who have died, and there’s also an option to sign up to be a Midnight Walk VIP, with lots of extra benefits.

Penny Hannah, Head of Fundraising, said: “While Midnight Walk is a poignant occasion, it’s ultimately a celebration in honour of those we have lost, and it always has a lovely, positive atmosphere. I’m delighted that we’ve made some exciting changes and additions this year that will make it more special and inclusive than ever, and we’re very grateful to our new sponsors Michael Spiers, along with Marchand Petit.

“Whether you have taken part in our event before or are participating for the first time, we can’t wait to see all our supporters striding out in their pink T-shirts. What really makes the night for everybody though, is that they’re doing what they can to help local families.”

Regular registration costs £24 for ages 11 and over, and £12 for ages 10 and over. You can sign up at www.stlukesmidnightwalk.co.uk.

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BLOG: Men on the move make miles matter for hospice care

Men on the move make miles matter for hospice care

A mass gathering of kind-hearted men strode through the streets of Plymouth at the weekend, paying tribute to lost loved ones, enjoying a unique camaraderie and showing their support for the charity that provides specialist end of life care for local families.

More than 2,000 men of all ages braved chilly temperatures and a persistent drizzle to turn out for St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth’s 2023 Men’s Day Out on Saturday (11 March). With most sporting distinctive event T-shirts, and some wearing eye-catching fancy-dress, they set off to walk a 12km (7.5 mile) route through the heart of the city, beginning and ending at the Plymouth Albion rugby ground at Devonport.

The thousands of pounds raised by the sold-out event will help St Luke’s continue its compassionate care, free of charge, for local people with terminal illness in their last months, weeks and days of life. As well as expert medical care, at home, at Derriford Hospital and at the charity’s own specialist inpatient unit at Turnchapel, the hospice teams provide valuable emotional and practical support for patients and their relatives and friends when they need it most.

St Luke’s patron Mark Ormrod, Royal Marines veteran, Invictus Games athlete and motivational speaker, was at the start line at Albion with his daughter to cheer the crowds on their way. “If I had my legs I would be out there with them,” said Mark, a triple amputee.

Amid all the fun, banter and companionship of the day, participants had the chance not only to share precious memories of friends and family members who have died, but also to talk frankly about the pain of losing a loved one to terminal illness and the realities of bereavement. It’s well recognised that men struggle to reach out for support and being together on the move offered a rare opportunity to speak freely with others who really understand.

It was a particularly poignant day for Martin Jones from Plymstock as he walked in memory of his wife, who died just five days earlier. Jen, 76, was a nurse who worked at St Luke’s from its very early days at Syrena House. The couple actually met at St Luke’s 35 years ago when Martin was a volunteer and Jen was working in the specialist unit at Turnchapel. In her final days she was cared for at home by the St Luke’s Urgent Care Service team.

“I can’t praise the girls from the hospice enough. I call them all angels in every respect,” said Martin, a retained firefighter, who is also a regular volunteer at the St Luke’s Plymstock Broadway shop. “I was Jen’s full-time carer and not only did they look after her, they looked after me as well. They brought me back from the brink.”

Martin has been taking part in Men’s Day Out since it started, on previous occasions in fancy dress costumes ranging from a crocodile to a Power Ranger, although that didn’t seem appropriate this time.

“Before my Jen died we talked about it and she was adamant that I should still do it this time no matter what happened. This morning I thought about not coming but I got myself up and out the door. It really is a brilliant day out,” said Martin, who was finding it comforting to talk to others along the route who had been in his situation. “I have spoken to a couple of men today who have told me to stick with it and the pain will get better over time.”

Four generations from one family were on the move to remember Shirley Roberts from Derriford, who died at St Luke’s Turnchapel specialist inpatient unit in January 2017. Her husband, Andy Roberts, her father Dave France from Saltash, and from Crownhill, her son Mark Green and his 13-year-old son Oliver were walking together in her honour, as well as in memory of John, Shirley’s stepdad.

“St Luke’s was a massive help to me when I lost my wife. Death is a taboo subject – it shouldn’t be, but it is and Men’s Day Out opens up conversations. Taking part you get to chat to people,” said Andy.

Sam Moore, 24, from Stoke was taking part in Men’s Day Out in memory of his Nanny Ann and Auntie Jackie, walking alongside his dad, his uncle and his brother. Acknowledging the power of togetherness during the event, he said: “The struggles you got through, everything is better as a team. It’s like a sigh of relief and such a weight off your shoulders to get it all out. And the fact St Luke’s is out there for everyone is brilliant.”

Martin Warran from Ford was taking part in memory of his wife, Lesley, walking with his grandson Jason Gee and a group of friends and family, all wearing bright striped umbrella hats. Lesley died last November, surrounded by her loved ones.

Martin said: “My wife wanted to pass away at home and we had St Luke’s coming in for about eight days.” “She was very comfortable with all of us around her,” added Jason, who appreciated the chance to walk and talk with others who have lost a loved one, while having a great day out. It’s a right good laugh, a bunch of lads getting together, and you know you are not the only person feeling it.”

Amid a host of volunteers helping to make the event possible, nurse Tracy Edwards from St Luke’s Urgent Care Service was out and about selling raffle tickets to boost the charity’s funds.

She said: “Men’s Day Out is about blokes coming together who are perhaps facing recent loss. There are a lot of men grieving and sometimes they don’t know how to deal with those emotions or express how they are hurting. While they are walking they feel they are doing something to represent the person who has died. “They get to be with other men and have that support. I feel proud to see them walking around the city in their St Luke’s T-shirts.”


Credit BBC Spotlight – 11 March 2023

Penny Hannah, St Luke’s Head of Fundraising, hailed the event a huge success. She said: “It’s incredibly heart-warming to see so many men put their best feet forward to support St Luke’s, especially in such cold and drizzly weather. I’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who took part, to our sponsors Jem Scaffolding Ltd for their generous support, and to all the wonderful volunteers who gave their time to make sure the day ran smoothly.

“In previous years Men’s Day Out has raised enough to provide 160 families with a full package of care and support at home. This time it looks like we’re going to exceed that target, which is especially welcome at a time when we’re facing fast-rising costs.

“The kindness of our community never ceases to amaze me. It’s what has kept us going for more than 40 years, helping people with terminal illness make the most of every precious day, with the people who matter most to them. We couldn’t do it without you.”

Register your interest for Men’s Day Out 2024 here.

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BLOG: Open Gardens 2023

Stunning gardens open their gates to raise funds for hospice care

A sensational selection of beautiful gardens in West Devon, the South Hams and East Cornwall are once again throwing open their gates to raise funds for our compassionate end of life care for local people.

Our Open Gardens scheme is an annual favourite for horticulture fans who revel in the chance to explore amazing private plots, large and small, many not usually open to the public, while supporting our care at the same time. Cash raised from ticket sales plays a vital part in helping us to meet the rising cost of our dedicated care teams offering free specialist hospice care, when and where it is needed.

Launching the 2023 season on Mother’s Day – Sunday 19 March – is the grand Gnaton Hall, near Yealmpton, which boasts a spectacular five acres, packed with daffodils and grand Magnolia trees, plus walled gardens, terraced lawns and woodland walks. With plenty of time to explore this amazing plot between 2pm and 5pm, visitors can try to spot the elusive Elmer the Patchwork Elephant in the grounds, enjoy cakes and refreshments and purchase a wide selection of homegrown plants.

This year’s programme, running through to September and kindly sponsored by NFU Mutual Plymouth, promises plenty of inspiration for keen gardeners, as well as a proper treat for anyone who enjoys a fresh air outing in a beautiful environment.

The list features many perennially popular gardens, plus several exciting new additions to the roster, stretching from the outskirts of Plymouth right across our catchment area in the South Hams, Dartmoor, West Devon and just over the border into Cornwall – from Kingsbridge to Lewdown.

The magnificent landscaped grounds of the Grade One listed Flete House, near Ermington, opening on Sunday 30 July, are always a glowing highlight of the season. Fresh for 2023, there’s also a new Hidden Village trail around a series of private gardens in Mary Tavy, a moorland village north of Tavistock, opening between 11am and 4pm on Sunday 4 June, where taking time to chat with the garden owners will be part of the fun.

There’s no need to book in advance for any of the gardens – just turn up on the allotted date and time and follow the orange St Luke’s signs to car parking and the gardens themselves and pay on the gate with cash or contactless card; under-16s have free entry.

An added bonus this year is the chance to buy a series of four striking, limited-edition nature-inspired linocut prints, specially created for our Open Gardens by acclaimed Calstock artist Peter Ursem – one of which features on this year’s brochure cover.  The gorgeous colour-soaked prints are available from his website at www.peterursem.co.uk and Peter will generously be donating 50 per cent of sales proceeds to St Luke’s. The artist will also be holding an open studio day to coincide with the Gunnislake Village Open Gardens on Sunday 25 June.

Wayne Marshall, St Luke’s Open Gardens Co-ordinator, said: “It’s exciting to be back with another diverse selection of beautiful gardens to inspire and delight visitors. Many of our featured gardens are hidden gems not normally open to the public, so visiting is a rare chance for you to get an insight into garden planning and planting schemes.

“As a charity, we couldn’t survive without the kindness of all our supporters. This includes everyone who attends our Open Gardens, the big-hearted garden owners who welcome them, and not forgetting our proud sponsors NFU Mutual Plymouth.”

You can pick up a copy of our Open Gardens 2023 brochure at any of our charity shops, at local garden centres and supporting businesses, or you can download it online here.

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BLOG: How Selina took St Luke’s to the heart of Parliament

Selina’s account of St Luke’s in the pandemic influenced MPs’ key end of life report

Proud St Luke’s ambassador Selina Rogers has spoken out at a pivotal meeting at the House of Commons in London to share her experience of frontline hospice care with influential policy makers.

Selina, a Senior Health Care Assistant with our Urgent Care Service (EoLUCS) team, was thrilled to be invited to a special reception last week launching a hard-hitting new report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the lasting impact of the Covid pandemic on death, dying, bereavement and end of life care.

“I felt very proud of myself and of St Luke’s – we have had a major part in this important study. It’s a huge moment in hospice care, and I’m honoured to be involved,” she says.

Selina was asked to meet the group’s MPs in person, alongside representatives from other health and care organisations across the UK, after contributing evidence last year – quoted in the report – on the overwhelming impact of the pandemic on patients and their families, as well as St Luke’s frontline care.

The report highlights how the significant rise in deaths during the pandemic, especially in people’s own homes, placed huge pressure on the health and care system and led to incidences of poor care nationwide. The sheer volume of death, alongside measures to reduce the spread of infection, resulted in extreme pressure on exhausted health and care workers and unpaid carers.

Selina spoke confidently at Westminster to give a voice, not only to St Luke’s, but to health care professionals across the UK delivering end of life care.

“The pandemic highlighted the work that hospices do in our communities. I am very passionate about what we do at St Luke’s and the impact we have on our community. I will talk to anyone about it. I was able to explain how we work and how we make it possible for people to die at home,” she says.

“I also talked about the increase in the numbers of people wanting to die at home during the pandemic, mainly because of restrictions on people coming into nursing homes and wards.

“People were very interested in what I had to say. They listened and were really engaged, which was great. They asked a lot of questions about what I’d experienced and what we are seeing now, post Covid. I explained that we are probably the busiest we have ever been at the moment, and that’s a knock-on effect of the pandemic.”

The report underlines that with more people expected to die in 2031 than in 2020, significantly more end of life support will be needed in future, particularly for people who choose to die in their own homes.

The need for more government funding for hospices and more education across the board for health care professionals who have no experience of death and dying, as well as better mental health support for staff are also highlighted.

Selina, who is currently studying to become a Nursing Associate with a St Luke’s apprenticeship, has been hugely encouraged and moved by the event, especially a speech by the group’s co-chair Baroness Finlay supporting lobbying of the government for more funds for hospice care, affirming that everyone should be entitled to free specialist end of life care.

“It is all so positive and, reading the report, it’s exciting that finally things are hopefully going to improve for the future and hospice care will get the recognition and support that it deserves,” she says.

Selina’s skills for describing the stark realities and enormous challenges of the pandemic on hospice care professionals came to the attention of the All-Party Parliamentary Group after she wrote a blog for St Luke’s own website in 2020 just as the country went into its second lockdown.

She was later interviewed for Hospice UK on Sky TV and that led to her contribution to the report and her invitation to Parliament. Selina will now be sharing what she has learned from the experience with St Luke’s CEO Steve Statham and Director of Clinical Services George Lillie.

There’s no doubt that Selina’s day at Parliament was an unforgettable one, not least because it also happened to be her 38th birthday.

“It was very surreal going to the House of Commons, and I was quite nervous going in on my own, but I surprised myself. There were a lot of people who were higher up in their organisations, but I don’t think there was anyone else there in my area of work. It’s certainly a birthday I’ll always remember,” she says.

Read the full APPG report here. 

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BLOG: Nursing a joined-up vision, powered by experience

Nursing a joined-up vision, powered by experience

Introducing St Luke’s Deputy Director Clinical Services Tricia Davis

Tricia Davis is enormously proud to call herself a nurse. Her long career has seen her gather a wealth of diverse experience in health, social care and charity work, as well as climb the management ladder, but she never underestimates the value of her solid foundation in community nursing.

Even now, in her post as St Luke’s Deputy Director Clinical Services, Tricia believes it’s important for her to make time for hands-on clinical practice to keep her skills up to date, remind herself where her journey began and get as close as she can to the patient experience.

Her dogged focus on delivering good care, when and where it’s needed, is standing her in good stead as she casts fresh eyes on how St Luke’s clinical team operates, its daily challenges, and its interaction with the wider health and care system.

“It is always the little things that make a big impact on patient care,” says Tricia, who started her nurse training in Bristol, 43 years ago in 1980, working in the city’s acute hospitals. After qualifying she quickly transferred into the area that really interested her – community nursing – later becoming a health visitor.

“I loved health visiting! It was a privilege to be involved in the complexities of family life.  Although I often found myself working in child safeguarding, this was then balanced with the joy of visiting new parents and their beautiful babies.”

Tricia’s team leaders quickly spotted her leadership qualities.

“My first step into management was in locality health visiting but that very quickly extended to the wider community services of district nursing, school nursing, community midwifery and Macmillan nurses.”

When their three children were small, Tricia and her husband moved to Downderry in southeast Cornwall where she continued working in NHS locality management and was especially delighted to be part of the management team that opened the then new community hospital in Clemo Road, Liskeard in 2004.

An exciting career change saw Tricia return to Bristol where she became CEO of a homeless charity in 2009, where she gathered more experience working alongside some of the city’s big thinkers on projects such as The Happiness Project, Sustainable housing developments with straw bale housing, restorative justice initiatives and forensic mental health projects.

In 2017, Tricia returned to her community nursing roots working for Sirona – the not-for-profit community health provider for Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North East Somerset – where Tricia was excited to be appointed to the project team for the redevelopment of the former Frenchay Hospital site in Bristol. Regrettably this project was halted and instead Tricia found herself leading a social care division which included care homes and older people’s supported living schemes… just as the first Covid lockdown came into force.

“Whilst this was a terrible time for all of us in health and social care, it did give the opportunity to bring every bit of my leadership experience to the fore,” says Tricia.

“Care homes had a terrible experience in those early months but pulling on our established community networks we were able to do a lot of begging and borrowing from lots of good people. We sourced everything from basic PPE, extra freezers to store homemade meals in case the cook didn’t make it in, iPads and smart phones to keep residents in contact with their loved ones… along with a local sewing club who made very colourful ‘Care Home Scrubs’ to raise everyone spirits!

“I’m so proud to say that we went through the peak of Covid without a single case of Covid on any of our eight sites, which was a phenomenal testament to the dedication of the staff.”

With compassion to the fore, they still found ways for families to be at the bedside of their dying loved ones.

“There were so many national horror stories of people dying without their loved ones by their side,” recalls Tricia. “But we never operated that way. Some family members couldn’t be present because of their own health vulnerabilities which we totally understood, but it was never our directive that they couldn’t be at the bedside.

“My cherished memory is how the staff treated residents like they were their own family. It was humbling to see and be part of.”

Post-Covid saw southeast Cornwall calling Tricia and her husband again. She saw the job at St Luke’s advertised and was appointed 15 months ago in her full-time role that supports Director of Clinical Services and Deputy CEO George Lillie.

“At St Luke’s I feel I can bring my varied and diverse experiences. I don’t have a clinical nurse specialist background, but I don’t think that inhibits me doing my job well. My clinical leads have all the amazing ‘techie’ knowledge, and my job is to make sure they and their teams have the resources need to deliver the best care to our patients.

“My first year at St Luke’s has flown by. I had a very full induction into the organisation. The first 100 days I spent submerged in clinical practice and spending time with our Urgent Care Service, specialist unit and hospital teams. I arrived after the incredible challenge of the pandemic, just as we were going into that space of living with Covid.”

Tricia is a strong believer in the concept of operating as “One Big Team”, with easy communication and crossover between urgent care, inpatient and hospital clinicians.

One of the first new initiatives she instigated is the virtual triage call that happens at 2pm each day with representation from all the clinical teams. Her aim was to make sure that all departments had a forum to discuss the most urgent cases of that day, with teams supporting each other in clinical decision.

“It’s about prioritising, identifying clinical risk and clarity of decision making. I am not the expert on clinical matters, but I will have a good feel for risk. I facilitate discussion and we solve things together.”

Tricia is very much aware of big challenges in the wider health and social care system, and the knock-on effect this has on St Luke’s frontline staff.

“It’s a very tricky time to be in health and social care. Our staff identify, on a daily basis, things that they are having to do differently because of pressures in the system.”

There are certainly plenty of challenges to address but, as she continues to bring fresh insights, Tricia is thrilled to receive regular confirmation of the organisation’s extraordinary reputation for end of life care and the place St Luke’s holds in the heart of the community it serves.

“Every day I hear ‘thank you’ or receive letters and notes of thanks from people who have taken the time to write to us. Every day our amazing teams are reminded of the remarkable difference that St Luke’s makes, which is why we feel so privileged to do our jobs.”

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