Tag Archive for: compassionate

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BLOG: The Running Diaries – Miles for Marian

“Marian was just a brilliant human being.”

These are the words that David Lane uses to describe his late wife, Marian, a dedicated and inspirational mum, daughter, sister, friend and teacher who sadly died in November.

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BLOG: The Running Diaries – Lauren Prentice

“We are an ordinary family, and it’s not until you find yourselves in uncharted waters that you realise what local charitable organisations are available to provide the help and support when you need it the most.”

Lauren Prentice from Plympton will be running for St Luke’s at Plymouth Britain’s Ocean City Running Festival on Sunday 28 April in memory of her mum, Carol, who died in 2016 aged 65.

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BLOG: The Running Diaries – PKF Francis Clark

Run, sprint, jog, however you do it over the coming weeks we will be shining a light on some of the fabulous fundraisers we have running for St Luke’s at Plymouth Britain’s Ocean City Running Festival on Sunday 28 April.

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BLOG: Men’s Day Out – Men on the move make a massive difference for hospice care

Walking, talking and paying tribute to lost loved ones, big-hearted blokes of all ages strode through the streets of Plymouth on Saturday 6 April, raising funds for the specialist end of life care needed by so many local families.

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BLOG: Ambulance crew make Linda’s wish come true

When time is short, it’s often the little things that make the biggest difference.

One patient’s ambulance transfer from Derriford Hospital to St Luke’s specialist unit at Turnchapel last week turned into a very precious journey indeed when the crew took a detour to grant her wish for one last look at the sea she loves.

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BLOG: Scream if you want to walk faster

Scarecrows, penguins and traffic cones…our Men’s Day Out has seen it all. That is until now. A group of men from Plymouth will be bringing a touch of adrenaline to the day as they will be doing the walk dressed as a rollercoaster.

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BLOG: Our showroom launch thank-you to a big-hearted business

Bee and Vicky from St Luke’s urgent care service were thrilled to cut the ribbon to officially open Roger Young’s new Suzuki showroom in Saltash on Monday and thank the company for their generous support.

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BLOG: Open Gardens 2024

A stunning selection of gardens in West Devon, the South Hams and East Cornwall will be opening their gates once again in aid of local hospice care.

St Luke’s annual Open Gardens scheme is launching in March, providing avid horticulture fans the opportunity to explore amazing private plots, large and small, many not usually open to the public, while supporting our end of life care in your local community. All proceeds from the ticket sales will be playing a vital role in helping us to meet the rising costs of our dedicated care teams offering free specialist hospice care, when and where it is needed.

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.

Wayne Marshall, St Luke’s Open Gardens Co-ordinator, said: “We are really excited to kickstart the 2024 Open Gardens season. We have chosen a diverse selection of beautiful gardens to inspire and delight, many of which are not normally open to the public, so offer a unique insight into garden design.

“This year we are honoured and delighted that the highly successful local artist and St Luke’s patron, Brian Pollard has kindly created such an enchanting image for the cover of our Open Gardens brochure.

“Excitingly, Brian has generously donated to St Luke’s the framed original acrylic painting and we are including it as an amazing prize in our Open Gardens raffle, so be sure to buy your tickets when you visit one of the gardens.”

The artwork is currently on display at Kaya Gallery, Plymouth where you can also buy raffle tickets for either £1 or £5 for a book.

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, there will be a varied selection of popular gardens opening during the season alongside some exciting new additions, including the beautifully unique The Garden House in Yelverton on Thursday 18 April and Wednesday 14 August and Highwell in Churchstow, offering five acres of wonderful garden spaces on Sunday 12 May.

Highlights of the season include a special Easter Sunday opening of Gnaton Hall, near Yealmpton and a familiar favourite of the landscaped grounds of the Grade One listed Flete House, near Ermington, which will be opening on Sunday 28 July between 12pm and 5pm.

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; tickets cost £6 and under-16s have free entry.

Once again we will be working in partnership with the team at Drake’s Island to provide guided tours. Set in the beautiful surroundings of Plymouth Sound, Drake’s Island boasts unique views across Cornwall, the city and beyond. Funds from the ticket sales will go to St Luke’s, apart from a small booking fee. Tickets will be available exclusively here.

Wayne added: “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. Together over the last 14 years that the scheme has been running, more than £540,000 has been raised for our patient care, which is incredible, thank you.”

You can pick up a copy of our Open Gardens 2024 brochure and view the full list of gardens on offer 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: Introducing Nick Thomas, the new chair of St Luke’s board of trustees

 

Nick Thomas, a highly experienced NHS senior manager, has been announced as the new chair of St Luke’s Board of Trustees.

The retired deputy CEO of University Hospitals Plymouth is passionate about quality and believes St Luke’s has a pivotal role to play in raising the standards of end of life care across the wider local system, while maintaining its own well established commitment to service excellence.

He takes over the voluntary role from Charles Hackett, who had been chair since December 2022 and previously served as a member of the board for five years.

“It is a massive privilege to take on a role such as this because St Luke’s has such a huge reputation,” said Nick, who has enjoyed a rich career encompassing multiple aspects of health and care at UHP, including planning, IT, estates and finance.

“You can stop almost anyone on the street in Plymouth and they will have a story to tell about St Luke’s and it’s always positive, which is remarkable. I cannot think of a more prestigious charity to be involved with.”

Originally from Llanelli in South Wales, Nick has lived and worked in Devon for nearly 30 years, becoming part of the community in Ivybridge and in Plympton, where he and his wife now live.

He first came across St Luke’s in the late 1990s as part of a Common Purpose development initiative for board level managers, building a network around how Plymouth is run as a city through core areas like housing and health.

“That is when I first discovered the impact the work of St Luke’s has on end of life care. Then, during my time at Derriford, I became much more aware of St Luke’s.

“At a workshop to discuss health care of the elderly, virtually every example of best practice in end of life care related to St Luke’s; which is remarkable.”

Over the years his attention has returned again and again to the importance of end of life care and a deepening appreciation St Luke’s values around death and dying.

A very personal experience shone the spotlight even further on the importance of everyone having the chance of a “good death”.

“When my father-in-law was coming towards the end of his life he was admitted into hospital. They said he was responding well to treatment and gave the impression he was getting better. No one mentioned the ‘d’ word.

“When I pulled the doctor aside and asked what the prognosis was, he said my father-in-law might recover from his current infection, but then there would be another and maybe another and eventually he would run out of physiological reserve and die. I remember thinking that we need to talk in a different way about this and not give false hope on the premise that it is somehow ‘kinder’. My mother-in-law needed to prepare herself mentally for the inevitable and this sort of ‘kindness’ simply delayed the inevitable reality.

“A pathway coordinator said that he would be discharged into residential care, adding, ‘I’m sorry, but he’s not close enough to death for St Luke’s’. I’m not sure what that meant, but he died a week later.

“I think part of St Luke’s responsibility is to show what good looks like and help others to attain those heights.”

An accountant by training, Nick has most recently been involved in making business cases and business plans and putting commercial projects together.

He believes his experience chairing two other local charities: the Eddystone Trust supporting people with HIV and other blood viruses and Plymouth Access to Housing working with the homeless and people at risk of becoming homeless, will stand him in good stead at St Luke’s.

His other experience includes being a non-executive director at Plymouth Science Park, a member of the Scan4Safety and Quality Improvement national advisory boards, treasurer of Elfordleigh Golf Club and board advisor to Plymouth CIC Engaged Communities.

Trustee and deputy chair Martin Walker said: “All the trustees were delighted to formally approve Nick’s appointment as our new chair. During his application and interview, his leadership skills, charisma and broad experience stood out. Nick brings a wealth of experience from senior NHS management roles, commercial projects, and several positions in the charitable sector. We all look forward to working with him in the years ahead.”

Outgoing chair Charles Hackett added: “I can’t think of a better person to succeed me as chair of the board. Nick is fully in tune with the organisation’s values and the bigger picture of what St Luke’s incredible expertise and strong reputation can offer the broader healthcare system in Plymouth and beyond, and passionate about quality of care.”

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BLOG: Shining a light on St Luke’s apprentices: National Apprenticeship Week 2024

This week is National Apprenticeship Week (5-11 February) in honour of that we want to shine a light on the vital team of apprentices who have been working hard behind the scenes.

St Luke’s currently has seven apprentices, ranging from nursing to IT, data, Finance and administration, with a mixture of those currently working towards their apprenticeship or being newly qualified.

Our apprentices are a special bunch, which is why we wanted to honour them this week, by holding a lunchtime celebration on Wednesday 7 February at our specialist unit at Turnchapel.

The event was an opportunity to recognise the outstanding contribution they have all made to St Luke’s and included food, cake and drinks. The apprentices were accompanied by their mentors, who have been providing them with ongoing support throughout their apprenticeships.

During the afternoon, St Luke’s CEO George Lillie and Director of People Services Adrienne Murphy, thanked both apprentices and the mentors for their contribution to St Luke’s and the patient and their families we support.

George said: “Every one of our apprentices plays a vital role at St Luke’s in helping us to deliver the high standard of care we strive for. As an organisation we are committed to providing on-the-job learning opportunities to people as well as supporting existing staff in up-skilling. We pride ourselves on ensuring that all our apprentices are part of the St Luke’s family benefiting from our values and support.”

We caught up with IT support apprentices James Dyer and Aden Webb, who are just over six months into their 18-month apprenticeships.

30-year-old James Dyer is an IT support apprentice. His role has been facilitated by Estio Training Apprenticeships. He first discovered that St Luke’s provided apprenticeships at a National Apprenticeship Week event last year at the Plymouth Job Centre. St Luke’s Head of IT Faye Cockerton and Group Head of IT Aaron Smallshaw were attending the event and after chatting with them, his apprenticeship developed from there.

“What stood out to me from Faye and Aaron from the other representatives in attendance was their passion to develop me,” James said. An apprenticeship was not something James had previously considered.

“I must admit my knowledge of apprenticeships was limited, I thought they were generally trade based and something you couldn’t do when older. I was really surprised by the variety of apprenticeships out there and that age is no limit.

“St Luke’s really appealed to me because of the cause, it had meaning behind what you were doing.

“I was surprised at just how many departments and people it takes to run a hospice, all with different IT needs and abilities. In fact, it’s not just one hospice at St Luke’s, I am working across three hospices including Rowcroft Hospice in South Devon and St Richard’s Hospice in Worcester. That really gives job variety as each hospice is so different.

James primarily works on the support desk for the hospices. “I love the variety and challenge of learning something new. Whether it is a new system or solving a problem.

“It could be anything from a call for a password reset, to hardware failure or something that is critical to the delivery of patient care for example the phones going down or our electronic prescriptions to ensure patients remain pain free. That is always in the back of my mind, the patients and their families. All the support teams including IT play such an important role alongside our doctors and nurses in achieving that outstanding expert care.

“It really is such a privilege to be a part of St Luke’s.”

Fellow IT support apprentice, Aden Webb has made working in a hospice a family affair, as his mum also works in a hospice up in Lancaster. This meant that the taboo around hospices and death and dying didn’t phase him, instead giving him an insight and a stepping stone into the world of hospice care.

The 24-year-old’s apprenticeship has been facilitated by Skills Launchpad Plymouth, following his degree in computing and games development.

Aden has been providing IT support for all departments across the hospices, from the clinical teams to fundraising and People Services.

“I’ve learnt you really have to adapt your communication style depending on the type of enquiry you get and their IT ability. It surprised me how much work goes on behind the scenes to ensure the IT systems are up to date, functioning and more importantly, secure to protect confidential patient information.”

Since the pair have been working at St Luke’s, they have been encouraged by the feedback from staff, reminding them what an intrinsic part of the St Luke’s team they have become.

Aden added, “We’ve both received a lot of positive feedback from the people we’ve helped. For people to go out and verbally acknowledge us, it feels like we are making a difference.

“Everyone has been so friendly, it has been a great supportive working environment.”

Thank you to all our apprentices for their hard work and dedication to St Luke’s.

If you are interested in an apprenticeship with St Luke’s then find out more here https://stlukes-hospice.org.uk/apprenticeships-and-placements/

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