This week (9th-15th October) hospices in the North East will join forces with up to 200 other hospices across the UK to celebrate the many and varied services providing hospice care.
The theme for this year’s Hospice Care Week (9th -15th October) is “we are hospice care”, which is an opportunity to show the breadth of hospice care services and dispel myths and common misconceptions about hospices.
Seven hospices from across the North East are working together during the week to highlight hospice care through stories about their services, using #NEHospiceCare.
From nurses to volunteers, chefs to chaplains and corporate partners to carers, the awareness- raising week will celebrate the contribution of everyone involved in hospice care.
There will be seven North East Hospices coming together to celebrate the week including: St Oswald’s Hospice, Alice House Hospice, St Benedict’s Hospice, St Cuthbert’s Hospice, Teesside Hospice, St Teresa’s Hospice and Willow Burn Hospice.
Hospice care supports adults, young people and children living with life-limiting illness to live life as fully as possible and enjoy quality of life with loved ones. The wide-ranging support provided by local hospices includes medical care, wellbeing therapies such as massage, emotional support to patients and families, bereavement and family support, and much more. Each year across the UK 200,000 people with incurable conditions, and their families, will benefit from hospice care.
James Ellam, Chief Executive at St Oswald’s Hospice, said:
“Hospices across the North East provide life-changing care and support to thousands of patients and their families every year.
“The awareness week is an opportunity to make our breadth of hospice services known to our North East communities, giving everyone in our region the opportunity to access hospice care. Many people don’t realise that hospices provide much more than just end of life care. In fact 59% of patients accessing these Hospice inpatient services went home last year, and many more patients use hospice outpatient and day services.
“Hospices in the North East rely on the support of our local communities to continue providing hospice care to North East families at a time when they need it most. Local people make a huge contribution to hospice services, whether that be by fundraising, organising events or volunteering. Half a million volunteer hours are provided by dedicated volunteers for these seven hospices alone, demonstrating the impact of local people, and we couldn’t do it without you! We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their ongoing and dedicated support.”
Tracey Bleakley, Chief Executive of national hospice and palliative care charity Hospice UK, said:
“Hospice care is so diverse and involves many people with different skills and talents from all walks of life coming together to deliver incredible care. They are all united by their passionate commitment to the special ethos of hospice care and ensuring that everyone they support is treated with kindness, dignity and respect.
“Hospice Care Week is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the contribution of everyone who contributes to hospices across the UK and we hope the public will join in the celebrations and help share more widely the many personal stories that make up hospice care.”
To learn more about Hospice Care Week visit www.hospicecareweek.org and keep an eye out for the local hospice stories on social media during the week by following #NEHospiceCare