Compassionate Connections

It’s good to talk

Connecting with other hospices, charities, health professionals, organisations, social and faith groups, as well as engaging with members of the public at local events, helps us all to share our knowledge and ideas about becoming a more compassionate and informed community, while learning from the experiences of others.

Here are some of the initiatives we drive or actively take part in:

Death Positive days facilitated by St Luke’s and promoted by local libraries invite individuals to explore, learn and discuss topics related to end-of-life care, the importance of Advance Care Plans to document your wishes and the long held taboos around death, without stigma or fear.

Conferences and networking events help us advocate for broader systemic changes to ensure that individuals dealing with serious illness and loss receive compassion in every area of their lives, including in schools, workplaces, and places of worship.

The team presented at Plymouth Mental Health Conference in January 2025, focusing on bereavement support in the city. We are part of Plymouth Octopus (POP) which acts as a grassroots champion and system convener to influence decision-making and increase collaboration in the city, and we regularly attend the Community Research Learning by Listening Network which brings organisations together that recognise the importance of people’s lived experience through stories, while also connecting to evolve services.

Recognising the importance of sharing our knowledge and experience with the next generation of healthcare professionals, Community Development and our Head of Education are advocates to third-year medical students for their module Creative Approaches to Advocacy and Wellbeing.

As Plymouth is a renowned military city, we continue to work with the NHS Veteran Aware programme to better understand how to support patients with a background in the armed forces, and we hold a Veteran Aware Status award.