Highly skilled, kind and present even when situations are heartbreaking or difficult, our nurses are a special breed. We appreciate them every day, and this International Nurses Day (12 May), we want to say an extra-big thank you to them for everything they do in, and for, our community.
We spoke to St Luke’s Community Nurse Specialist Sonja Hambly about her role and what motivates her to work in an environment many would shy away from, perhaps perceiving it as too tough on their emotions.
For many, death is a taboo subject, avoided and dodged until it happens to you. This week is Dying Matters Awareness week (5-11 May), an opportunity to open up conversations about death and dying and break down the taboos surrounding it.
The theme this year is ‘The Culture of Dying Matters’, focusing on how different communities and cultures in the UK feel, talk about, and deal with death and dying – and what brings them together. Our Digital Communications Specialist Gabby Nott has been exploring the idea of death across cultures in our local community.
t’s hard to imagine St Luke’s without the inimitable Frankie Dee, a dedicated and inspirational nurse whose wealth of hands-on experience and management knowledge led her to become our Head of Quality and Compliance, monitoring, safeguarding and promoting the high standards of end of life care we offer patients and their families.
But, after 35 years, Frankie says the time has come to say a fond farewell to the organisation she has proudly helped to be the best it can be, and to the career that has taught her so much about what’s really important in life.
A premier southwest car dealership is continuing to go the extra mile in support of St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth.
With the hospice facing the challenge of delivering its specialist end-of-life care in an increasingly tough financial climate, big-hearted business Roger Young – which opened its Suzuki dealership in Saltash in 2024 – has stepped up to lease five smart new Suzuki vehicles to the charity at a specially discounted rate.
Staff at St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth are celebrating a top rating of “Outstanding” from the Care Quality Commission, the official government body responsible for assessing and regulating all England’s health and care providers.
The CQC report, issued this week following their autumn 2024 inspection, acknowledges that St Luke’s services, delivered in the community and at its specialist unit at Turnchapel, are performing “exceptionally well”, with consistently positive feedback received from patients, their families, staff and partner organisations.
They say there’s strength, as well as safety, in numbers, especially when you’re in the company of people who share the same aspirations and goals.
That must explain the overwhelming sense of empowerment, togetherness and possibility at the recent Hospice UK conference, where hundreds of us gathered with the common aim of making sure excellent palliative and end of life care is available for everyone who could benefit from it, wherever they live in the UK and whatever their circumstances.
We’re delighted to congratulate George Lillie on his appointment as the permanent Chief Executive of St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth. Formerly our Clinical Director and Deputy Chief Executive, last year George stepped into the role of CEO for a limited period at a time when we desperately needed his wealth of experience, understanding and leadership.
Following a rigorous and robust recruitment process, with some very strong applications, our board of trustees have confirmed that George was the outstanding candidate.
St Luke’s is launching a brand-new podcast to help open up the conversation about death and dying.
The St Luke’s education team are working in partnership with Livewell and Macmillan GP Facilitators from Plymouth, South Hams and West Devon to create a regular podcast for health and social care professionals centred around facilitating good end of life care. The podcast will cover a range of end-of-life care topics, offering top tips and tools to practitioners based on best practice guidance and day to day experience.
The focus for this year’s Hospice UK Dying Matters Awareness Week (6-12 May) is how we talk about death and dying. Senior palliative care nurse Cathryn Goodchild, lead clinical educator at St Luke’s, asks why people shy away from the “D” words and explains why correct language matters.
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.”
