St Giles Hospice Quality Account 2017/2018 St Giles Hospice 2017-18 Quality Account | Page 4

CEO Statement
“Our ultimate goal, after all, is... a good life until the
very end.”
– Atul Gawande
We believe that encouraging
open, honest conversations
around end of life issues can
encourage people living with
palliative illnesses to seek help at
an earlier stage.
We also believe that having
these conversations, whether
as individuals, organisations or
health care providers, can help
to create more compassionate
communities, which are better
equipped to support people who
are grieving or at the end of their
life.
Emma Hodges
CEO
Last year we launched our new
strategy, along with a bold new
look for the hospice, and this year
we have focused on bringing the
first year of the strategy to life.
The strategy highlighted our
commitment to care and the
additional 1,000 people in the
community who could benefit
from our support.
This is where most of our funding
is spent and where most of our
time is focused.
It also outlines the need to
challenge preconceptions around
hospice care and tackle some of
the taboos surrounding death,
dying and bereavement.
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Our Community Engagement
and Phoenix teams have been
working with schools, colleges,
organisations and groups to help
facilitate these discussions and
create innovative and engaging
ways of encouraging people to
talk about end-of-life issues,
creating community resilience and
support.
Through our Bereavement Help
Points, which have continued to
grow in number and have now
reached 11, we are supporting
more than 1,000 people a month
who are grieving.
These are volunteer-led drop in
sessions for anyone struggling
with grief who wants an
opportunity to talk to a trained
volunteer or to meet other people
to share their stories with.
Many of the help points have
been developed in partnership
with other organisations in the
community and, as a hospice,
we are committed to working in
collaboration wherever possible to
increase the reach and impact of
the services.
This commitment has resulted in
the development of a partnership-
led project in Uttoxeter, focused
on encouraging people to live
well locally, working with local
community groups, care homes
and other hospices to pilot the
scheme.
In February 2018
we also launched
a new service for
women living with
the adverse effects
of cancer treatment,
working with a local
breast cancer support
charity, who funded
the project.
This innovative service has already
helped a number of women who
are living with and after cancer
treatment to address issues
around sexuality, body image and
intimacy as well as addressing
their physical symptoms.