St Wilfrid's News - February 2023

HOW TO CONTACT US

Address: St Wilfrid’s Hospice, Walton Lane, Bosham, West Sussex

PO18 8QB

Tel: 01243 775302

Email: general@stwh.co.uk

Website: stwh.co.uk

Registered Charity in England and Wales No: 281963

@stwilfridschichester

@StWilfridsChi

We’d love to hear any feedback you may have about the newsletter, so please get in touch with your comments.

Contact the Newsletter Editor on 01243 755185 or email editor@stwh.co.uk

This is an opportunity to look back over the last 25 years but also to look forward to the future that I know will see the Hospice team continue to give incredible support and care to local people, making a difference to local lives each and every day.

I joined St Wilfrid’s in October 1997 as Director of Nursing, after a career in the NHS and some years in oncology nursing. My previous role was as the senior nurse manager at Countess Mountbatten House in Southampton, which was then an NHS hospice.

I can still remember the first time I came to visit the Hospice to meet up with Pat Camilleri, the Matron who I was to replace. The warm welcome at reception from the volunteer and the impression that created was so important, and that remains vital to this day. After the recruitment process I was so pleased to be offered the job of Director of Nursing, and looked forward to joining the team.

The Hospice was in the process of celebrating its 10th anniversary, and one of my first events was a glittering gala

concert at Chichester Festival Theatre –this was a new experience for me after a career in the NHS and an amazing demonstration of how much the local community love the Hospice. It is so important to recognise the great efforts of all who were involved with setting up the Hospice, as if it wasn’t for their commitment and drive we wouldn’t be where we are today. When I joined I worked with Brendan Amesbury, the Medical Director, and Gillian Plowman, the General Manager, and we soon formed a strong team together. My role evolved over the years as I became Chair of the Management Team in 2004, and CEO in 2007. The years seem to have flown by!

Back in 1997 the Hospice was a smaller organisation, and much has changed, but the fundamental aspects of our care and support remains the same -

Moonlight Walk raises £65,000!

A huge thank you to all of our superstar walkers and our sponsors for helping us raise this amazing amount of money for St Wilfrid’s. This fantastic amount can help to pay for almost a month of group activities and enriching therapies at our Living Well Centre as well as Patient Transport for two years!

Our £10 earlybird tickets are available for the 2023 Moonlight Walk until the end of February. See page 7 for more info…

I’m writing this with mixed feelings as it will be my last contribution to the St Wilfrid’s newsletter ahead of my retirement at the end of March.

to find out what matters most to the people we support and doing the best we can to help them achieve their goals. The numbers of people we support along with the range of services we provide has grown significantly. Hospice care has developed and grown in so many ways, the main change I have seen has been the shift to care for more people in their own homes or as close to them as possible. Care in the inpatient ward remains vital, and will continue to be so for those people who cannot be cared for at home and need the expertise of our team. People are living longer with life limiting conditions as treatments have advanced, and caring for people with many different illnesses has been a great step forward.

The way that charitable hospices work with others in the system has changed for the better, as we all need to work together to ensure people receive the care and support they need towards the end of their lives. This was never clearer than during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the partnership with the NHS in delivering the echo co-ordination service was a great support to local people.

None of this would have been achieved without the amazing staff and volunteers who I have been so lucky to work with over the years. I’ve always been clear that everyone, no matter what their role or department, is part of a big jigsaw puzzle – if we took one piece out we wouldn’t be able to create the magic moments we see every day.

Last but by no means least I thank all of you – our supporters who do so much in so many different ways to make sure our services are sustained. I’ve met so many people who care so much about St Wilfrid’s and it has been incredible to see the love and respect for the Hospice across our whole community.

The future looks promising for St Wilfrid’s and for local people, I know there will be challenges ahead with increasing needs for our services but I also know the team here are in a great position to meet these goals. I look forward to seeing the Hospice go from strength to strength.

Alison Moorey Chief Executive

Alison

Our care in action Meet Louise

Louise Hankin joined St Wilfrid’s in January 2022 and as Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) she looks after our patients in the local community in their own homes. We asked her about her role and why working at St Wilfrid’s is important to her…

Q. What made you want to become a nurse?

A. I always wanted to be a nurse ever since I was little. In 2022 I started my 23rd year as a nurse; I qualified in October 2000 when I started working for the NHS.

I originally wanted to work in accident and emergency, which I did for four years, and then after a slight back injury it became a little more difficult. I then decided that I wanted to work more in the community as that was something I loved to do during my studies. So, I was a community nurse, then a clinical lead nurse in the community. I was in the community for 18 years before I joined St Wilfrid’s Hospice in January 2022. I absolutely love working in the community and I wouldn’t work anywhere else.

Q. Did you find the transition from NHS to charity difficult?

A. I didn’t deliberately seek to leave the NHS, but I got to a point where I wanted to use the skills that I had more effectively. I saw the CNS role at St Wilfrid’s come up and I really just felt like this a really good opportunity. I get to see a lot of patients, I get to prescribe, and I also get to use all of my respiratory interest and skills for the patients here which is really nice. I am also in the education and research group at the Hospice.

Q. Can you explain to us a little bit about what a CNS does?

A. As a Clinical Nurse Specialist, my job is to give to make sure patients are supported and to know what to expect after their diagnosis. There is a lot of controlling of symptoms; it isn’t just end of life care. It’s all about trying to help people cope with their everyday symptoms, whether that be pain, breathlessness or nausea, and we just try to support and help monitor them so they do have a good quality of life. There is a common misconception that all of the care given at the Hospice is on the ward, but actually the majority of care is given in the community. We go out every day to see our patients and support them as best we can.

In the community we have a real mixture of needs. Obviously, a lot of our work is helping people towards the end of their life, but we do have patients with chronic illness as well, not just cancer, and sometimes their illness progression isn’t as fast. These patients can live for quite some time with debilitating symptoms which they need support with.

Q. Can you describe a typical day as a CNS?

A. There isn’t a typical day as a CNS, every day is different for us. Generally, we come into work and have a meeting at 9am with the Ward, doctors and the CNS team and we overview the day and prioritise which patients are most important for admission or a visit. Then I might prepare for some patient home visits. I would go through the notes of the patients who are expecting a visit from me that day, make sure I get everything together that I need, go out and do some visits, then hopefully get back to the Hospice at some point for something to eat. I have to come back and write the notes up; there is a lot of writing and organising ordering of equipment. I try to sort out whatever has come out of the visit that day so there’s no delay for the patient, especially if I need to do assessments for a care package. After lunch I’d continue to finish anything left to do from the morning. I might have more patient visits, and occasionally we try to fit in any outstanding meetings that the team needs to have.

Every Tuesday I attend the Lung multi-disciplinary team meeting with the lung oncology nurses at St Richards, where we discuss patients so we can liaise and help each other and we can provide the best care and everyone knows what’s going on.

Q. What surprises people about hospice care?

A. I think there is still quite a misconception that hospice and palliative care is only for people who have cancer at the end of their life. There is so much more to it than that. It’s all about symptom control and trying to promote a quality of life. To try and live with the illness that they have. When I go to see someone, at the beginning of every assessment I always try to describe what the Hospice can offer, and it depends on the situation, but I always make sure they know that we are there first and foremost for support and to help them with symptoms. I hope this alleviates some of the anxiety they might have.

I do always say to the patient’s family that we are here for the family as well as the patient. We’ve got a really good

support service here, which I do try and promote to people. We have bereavement support and the family services team who can provide telephone support from trained volunteers and our hospice visitors can also do home visits where it’s necessary.

Q. Why do you think it’s important to talk about end of life care?

A. Society doesn’t really like to talk about death and it’s turned into some sort of scary thing and we only have one chance to get it right for people. It’s really important that people are aware that there is help and support out there; it doesn’t have to be something that is scary and I think the more that people talk about death and dying, the more we will normalise it and it won’t feel like such a scary topic to talk about. The more we can empower people to talk about it, the better.

Q. How do you feel when you tell people you work for St Wilfrid’s?

A. I feel really privileged and really proud to able to say I work here. People often say ‘oh you must be an angel I don’t know how you can do that job’, but I would encourage everyone else who wants to nurse in specialist palliative care to give it a try because it’s just so rewarding.

It makes such a difference that the team here are so great. We’ve got so many people in the team who have different interests and skills, so we all work really well together. If you’re not sure about anything, we can always ask and support each other. It’s just a really lovely place to work. If you’re even thinking about it just come and join us because it’s a really lovely job.

Are you thinking about a career at St Wilfrid’s Hospice? We’d love to hear from you. Visit stwh.co.uk/careers to see what we currently have available.

Our new ambulance canopy

We are grateful for our new ambulance canopy which allows patients to be admitted to Ward Reception comfortably, no matter the weather.

Thank you to the funders who supported this build to improve our Hospice. Our purpose-built facilities were opened 4 years ago and are essential in delivering hospice care to our local community.

Advanced communications skills training

Our Education team at Terminus Road are redeveloping an exciting new course in collaboration with other hospices and health organisations. ‘Advanced communications skills training for senior professionals’ is a 2-day face-to-face evidence-based course that teaches senior clinical professionals how to have challenging conversations with the public, no matter where they work in healthcare.

It is designed to increase awareness of own verbal and non-verbal communication skills and increase confidence in responding to common communication challenges. The course aims to improve the conversations that healthcare professionals have with patients and their families.

The course hasn’t been run for over ten years and is being fully funded by NHS Sussex and is open to all Sussex employees in health and social care.

To find out more about our education courses, visit stwh.co.uk/education

I Want Great Care

We are always making sure that we are constantly improving our services, and feedback is vital in making sure we are listening to our patients and their loved ones about their care.

You can now review St Wilfrid’s Hospice on the independent review site IWantGreatCare which is simple and quick to use. Your review will be anonymous unless you choose to show your details.

Celebrating 15 years of the Moonlight Walk

The Moonlight Walk has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2009, and we are thrilled that it has raised over £718,000 for St Wilfrid’s.

Meet Sharon!

We are delighted to introduce you to Sharon Nicholson, who has been participating in the Moonlight Walk for the last 7 years!

Sharon walks each year in memory of her very dear friend who was cared for at St Wilfrid’s Hospice, and in memory of her Nan who died from cancer.

Sharon describes the Moonlight Walk as one of the highlights of her year and enjoys every step along the way. Her favourite part of the walk is the Memory Arch at the Guildhall, Priory Park, where she always writes a message to those she remembers. “I enjoy taking part in the walk so much, I think it gets better each year and the atmosphere is always amazing”.

Sharon also enjoys walking with her colleagues and friends from Hunters Lodge Riding Centre, Chichester and really enjoy getting into the spirit of the walk. Sharon has now collected 7 Moonlight Walk t-shirts (she says the 2022 royal blue is her favourite). “My brilliant team and kind customers always sponsor me and that keeps me going on the last mile when my legs are starting to ache!”

Do you have a moonlight memory?

Sharon is the Riding Centre Manager at Hunters Lodge and is pictured above with three Horses Porshia, Toby and Jake. Sharon and the team have already signed up for the Moonlight Walk 2023!

So many memories have been made over the years and we always love to hear about your Moonlight Walk stories, so if you have one you’d like to share, please email it to fundraising@stwh.co.uk – We’d love to hear from you!

Moonlight Walk 2023

Could you be a star for your local community?

The Moonlight Walk returns this year with an exciting new date and time. Join us on Saturday 17th June at 8pm under the sunset as we set off to walk in memory of our loved ones.

The event village at Chichester College returns in 2023 with local food and drink sellers, making this a fun evening out with family and friends!

Don’t miss out on your earlybird tickets!

Our earlybird tickets are now available! Adult tickets are £10 (usually £18), and our family ticket is £25 (usually £45). These amazing prices will be available until Tuesday 28th February, so make sure you don’t miss out.

Your ticket price includes your Moonlight Walk t-shirt and medal, and we can support you to get sponsorship and fundraise for vital hospice services in our community.

Sign up today: stwh.co.uk/moonlight

Proudly Sponsored By

Community Supporters

Here are some of our amazing community supporters, who are making a difference to local lives. Thank you!

Kelsie’s bungee jump

In October 2022 Kelsie bravely completed a 300ft bungee jump. “It was absolutely terrifying but an amazing experience and for a good cause. I’m really pleased with all the money I have raised for the Hospice over the last few years”. Kelsie also took part in a skydive in 2020, all in memory of her nan who was cared for by St Wilfrid’s in 2017. Thank you Kelsie!

Tillie’s Skydive

Our wonderful receptionist Tillie bravely took on a skydive, jumping out of a plane at an eye-watering 15,000ft! Enjoying the surreal moment of falling from such a height, it was the experience of a lifetime. Thank you, Tillie, for taking on this epic challenge.

Pam’s Christmas lights

A huge thank you to Pam Evans for once again holding her spectacular Christmas lights switch on at her house in Felpham.

Elvis Tribute Night

Back in October, supporters Jeanette and Sue kindly held an Elvis Presley Tribute night in memory of Jeanette’s Dad Michael, and Sue’s brother Jim, to help support and fundraise for St Wilfrid’s Hospice.

They generously raised £3,405.68 from ticket sales, their auction and a raffle! This incredible amount can help to fund over 5 days of care on our Ward for one patient.

Charity Golf Day

In September 2022 the Selsey & District Lions Club held their annual charity golf day in support of St Wilfrid’s. A HUGE thank you to them for raising a fantastic £2,500 for the Hospice.

Wing Walk

In October 2022 John Ballinger took on an incredible experience in the skies, with a wing walk in aid of St Wilfrid’s. Not only did he complete this amazing feat, but he also generously raised £1000. John is already looking at going again, but this time with the aircraft completing a loop-the-loop!

If you are a member of a local club and would like to nominate us as your Charity

Super Spin-athon!

Our fantastic supporter Jon Joshua took on a spin-athon to mark his retirement. Jon has supported the Hospice for many years now with volunteering and fundraising. Thank you, Jon, for raising an incredible £685.

A big thank you to all of our supporters who have braced the great outdoors in aid of St Wilfrid’s!

Inca Trail Trekkers

Congratulations and thank you to our intrepid Inca Trekkers who completed their amazing trek back in November 2022. They bravely hiked through the Peruvian Andes mountain range and discovered the lost city of Machu Picchu. It was a gruelling terrain, but they were rewarded with the most magnificent views. Our team of 9 trekkers raised over £22,000 which is just incredible!

London Marathon 2022 Runners

A huge well done to all our London Marathon Runners who took on the incredible event and supported St Wilfrid’s Hospice, already raising over £20,000 combined; an absolutely incredible amount which will help to fund a week of care on our ward for 4 patients.

The Great South Run

– 14 th -15 th October 2023

Are you looking to take part in the Great South Run this year? We have a number of spaces available at a discounted rate of £25 per place, with a minimum suggested fundraising target of £200.

Coming Soon:

Make a Will Fortnight - 20th February - 3rd March. stwh.co.uk/MAWF

The Eurovision Song Contest - 13th May. stwh.co.uk/eurovision

The Moonlight Walk - 17th June. stwh.co.uk/moonlight

The Great South Run - 14th-15th October. stwh.co.uk/greatsouthrun

Watch This Space:

We have some exciting events coming this Summer, including a music event, a summer fete, and an in-memory event. Keep an eye on our social media and website for more information and dates soon!

Welcome to our shops!

Shop, donate goods or volunteer to support St Wilfrid’s and make a difference to local lives.

Every purchase, hour volunteered and item donated helps to make a real difference to the life of a patient and their family, so thank you for supporting our shops.

Our shops need you!

Did you know that in 2022 our amazing retail volunteers clocked up over 30,000 hours in our shops?

We are always needing a spare pair of hands to help in our retail shops, even if you only have a few hours a week to spare.

Here are some of our top reasons to volunteer in 2023

Make new friends and join a new community

Learn new invaluable skills that will last a lifetime

Discover new passions

Help build up your CV or contribute to DofE volunteering hours

Doing something for a good cause makes you feel good!

We are looking for students to be part of #TeamStWilf and bring your enthusiasm, expertise, energy and care to our organisation. Volunteering at one of our shops will help you to grow your experience, social skills, learn about sustainability and if you are interested, get more understanding of the world of fashion.

If you’re interested in volunteering and making a difference to local lives, or have any questions, please email our team on volunteers.office@stwh.co.uk

A blast from the  past

Our E-Commerce team at Terminus Road received an interesting donation at the end of 2022… A handwritten letter from Anthony Eden, former Prime Minister, to a local resident in Chichester, dated 1956. What an amazing piece of history to discover!

Are you planning a Spring clean ?

Are you having a clear out for 2023, or did you receive some Christmas presents that you might not have any use for? If you have some items you’d like to donate, here’s how:

Make sure the item is clean, in good condition and saleable

We cannot accept dangerous items such as knives

We can take good quality furniture, however please check it has fire safety labels on it

Check the donation times of your local shop

Remember to register for Retail Gift Aid – this could give us 25p extra from the taxman on top of the amount we can sell your donated item for Check shop opening times and locations here: stwh.co.uk/shop

Thank You

Trustee Update

Retail Collaboration

We are excited to be partnering with local charity Think18 at our Terminus Road shop. Think18 is a charity that supports young adults with learning difficulties, giving them opportunities to lead a happy and fulfilled life.

We have welcomed a volunteer called Sam to our e-commerce team. Sam has been helping us since September 2022 with our eBay listings. This has been a great opportunity for Sam to learn new skills and at the same time, help us raise extra funds for hospice care.

We are sad to be saying goodbye to 2 of our wonderful Trustees, Graeme and Amanda. Graeme has been a Trustee for the Hospice since 1998, and Amanda has been on our board for a brilliant 9 years. We will miss them very much and thank them so much for their services to St Wilfrid’s.

We are pleased to let you know that our recruitment for new Trustees has gone well, and we are looking forward to welcoming some new faces to the Board in 2023.

stwh.co.uk/about-us/meet-the-team/our-trustees

Did you know that 54% of adults haven’t written a Will?

Your Will is one of the most important legal documents you can make. If you die without one, the law will decide who inherits everything you own (your estate).

Top reasons to make a Will…

Ensure that dependent children are cared for

Protect your partner if you’re unmarried

Name someone to look after your pet

Record wishes for your funeral plans

Minimise inheritance tax

Support causes close to your heart

Would you prefer to make a Will online?

In addition to our Make a Will Fortnight, we have partnered with Guardian Angel so that you can create a free Will online from the comfort of your own home, all year round. All we ask for is a donation to the Hospice, or to consider leaving us a gift in your Will.

To find out more

Call: 01243 755184

Visit: stwh.co.uk/gifts-in-wills

Make a Will For tnight

20th February - 3rd March

Make a Will Fortnight Returns!

Local solicitors have kindly donated their time to write or amend your Will during our Make a Will Fortnight. All they ask for in return is a donation to St Wilfrid’s Hospice.

Please see the enclosed flyer for more details and to see our participating solicitors.

To find out more Call: 01243 755184

Visit: stwh.co.uk/MAWF