Staff and volunteers at the Earl Mountbatten Hospice have been asked to think about what makes them proud to work or volunteer at the hospice and to serve the Isle of Wight community for this year’s Hospice Care Week (3rd-9th October).
The annual event is organised by national charity Hospice UK and aims to raise awareness of the work of hospices across the country. One of the aims is to show how varied and surprising hospice work can be, and to show that this is only possible because of the dedication of hundreds of expert staff and volunteers.
Every day, Earl Mountbatten Hospice’s highly skilled staff support hundreds of people who are nearing the end of their lives in their own homes. The Hospice’s hospital team based at St Mary’s enables people to die in the place of their preference, by supporting them to go home as soon as they are able under the expert care of the community team. The hospice’s 16-bed Inpatient Unit backs up the community team and also offers respite care for patients and their families.
As part of efforts to raise awareness of the many areas of work during Hospice Care Week, staff and volunteers have explained why they are proud to work in their particular service. Among them are Jill George, Admiral Nurse, whose simple message is that she is: “Proud to….care for people with dementia and their families.” The message from Healthcare Assistant Lesley Rogers, who is part of the Rapid Response Team, is that she is: “Proud to….give personal care in people’s homes” and Trish Reeves, part the hospice’s Palliative Care team based at St Mary’s Hospital, says she is: “Proud to…..support people who wish to return home from hospital to die.”
Many other staff and volunteer messages are being made into posters for display around the hospice site, and will be used on social media during Hospice Care Week.
Nigel Hartley, CEO, said:
“Hospice Care Week is a great chance to show the Isle of Wight community the breadth of work we do. Many people think about hospice care as our building in Newport, but it’s a little known fact that we do more work now to support people in their own homes. It also allows us to explain that we are independent on the Isle of Wight, here for the Island’s community, and not part of any national charity. And it gives an opportunity to thank our community for their ongoing and unwavering support for the hospice in so many ways.”
Although it receives around a third of its funding from the local NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (which decides how to spend NHS budgets for local people), the Earl Mountbatten Hospice is a totally independent charity and receives no other government funding. Two thirds of funding comes from the generosity and support of Islanders, which means services can continue to be available free of charge.
Your hospice doesn’t just look after people with cancer. EMH care and support people with a number of life-limiting illnesses, including motor neurone disease and liver failure. The Hospice also looks after frail, older people who are near the end of life, as well as patients with dementia and their families.
More information about the Earl Mountbatten Hospice can be found at www.iwhospice.org.
