St Giles Hospice Quality Account 2017 St_Giles_Hospice_Quality_Account_2017 | Page 10

Quality of care is at the heart of what we do at St Giles . Cicely Saunders , the founder of the modern hospice movement said “ How people die remains in the memory of those who live on ”. At St Giles we know from the many letters we receive from family members how true this is .
As part of the strategy we have adopted a bold new look , with a vibrant orange logo . There are two reasons for the new brand . Changing colour helps us to stand out which will hopefully increase income but also encourage people to find out more about and better understand hospice care .

CEO Statement

Quality of care is at the heart of what we do at St Giles . Cicely Saunders , the founder of the modern hospice movement said “ How people die remains in the memory of those who live on ”. At St Giles we know from the many letters we receive from family members how true this is .
Emma Hodges CEO
We also know from patients how much they appreciate the support for their families leading up to and after their bereavement , knowing that their loved ones are not going to be alone . Our governance , policies , protocols , audits and education all aim to ensure the highest quality of care for our patients and their families ; this commitment runs throughout St Giles at all levels and in all roles .
During 2016 / 17 we saw more than 7,000 patients , the highest number annually in our history . Of these we supported the highest percentage ever of people with life-threatening diseases other than cancer . Our occupancy in our inpatient units also rose significantly . Eighty per cent of our care continues to be provided in the community although demand for all our services continues to increase .
This year we have set out our aspirations in a five year strategy which has just been launched , alongside our new brand , to staff , volunteers and the wider community . The strategy highlights the additional 1,000 people who could benefit from our care and outlines the challenges which we face due to fundraising and NHS income remaining static while demand for services is increasing .
As part of the strategy we have adopted a bold new look , with a vibrant orange logo . There are two reasons for the new brand . Changing colour helps us to stand out which will hopefully increase income but also encourage people to find out more about and better understand hospice care .
The second reason is to address confusion between ourselves and Macmillan . We believe that thousands of pounds worth of donations each year go elsewhere because people think that our St Giles nurses who support people at home across South Staffordshire and North Birmingham are Macmillan nurses .
We hope the new look will help make it clearer how and where we provide care and reduces this confusion .
Our commitment to care remains the same – this is where most of our funding is spent and where most of our time is focused . However , our strategy is also designed to be bolder about challenging many of the preconceptions of hospice care and the taboos surrounding issues relating to serious illness , dying and grieving .
The strategy is underpinned by our commitment to high-quality care for people with an illness that may not be curable and those who are grieving . It also outlines the need to help people talk more openly about loss to create more compassionate communities .
People still say things like ‘ I ’ m not ready for a hospice yet ’ as if a hospice is only relevant towards the end of someone ’ s life , but a hospice can help people who have an illness that may not be curable right from the point of diagnosis .
Accessing our care early can help people live well . With their
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