Me and my sister Zoe
My sister Zoe comes to Keech to make her feel better. I love going, everyone is really nice and it’s always lots of fun. My sister loves it too. My mum says we wouldn’t be able to cope without the support of the hospice. I bet there are lots of other families who think the same. It’s not just for children either. Lots of grown ups come to Keech to help them feel better too. Grown ups and children need to help Keech because it needs money to survive. This report is sort of like a school report – it tells you all the things that our hospice has been doing in the past year, with numbers and stories and everything. Keech help Zoe at our home as well as in the hospice. That helps mum a lot. Keech helps lots of mums and dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents. They are there when you need them to be 24 hours a day. Millie, 10
Dr Wink White
Dennis Keech
We think it is wrong that there are people dying alone. We think it is wrong that there are children and adults left to cope with devastating life-limiting conditions without support. We think it is wrong that people have to spend time away from their families, in hospital when they could be at home – making the most of the time they have left.
We believe no one should have to face a life-limiting and terminal illness alone. We’re here for our patients, families, carers and health professionals. We are here to help improve the care people receive by working with other professionals and organisations – so our support goes far beyond those who walk through our doors. Our vision is that everyone has choice and excellence on their journey towards end of life. Our mission is to seek out all the people who need palliative care; ensure someone has assessed their needs; and that something is being done to address those needs in a way the person chooses. If not, we will do something about it. What this means – everyone – your family, your neighbours, your friends and your colleagues all have access to the very best palliative and end of life care at the time they need it most.
We need to make sure we are here for people who need us now and in the future. We aim to provide an excellent standard of care to every person who needs us and ensure they can access care where they want it - whether that be in the home, hospital, school, care home or day clinics. In our annual report you can read about what we did this year to achieve those aims. Our work is focused on the people we are here to serve – our patients. Therefore, we wanted our annual report to be focused on patients and their families and what we are doing to ensure they get the very best palliative care, delivered in the place they want it the most. Rather than detailing all our strategic objectives, we have focused on what we have done to achieve our two main care priorities of providing excellent palliative care and ensuring patients can get care in their own homes during 2013-14.
Of course, none of this would be possible without the vital support of local communities. To read about the income we have raised and how that money has been spent just skip to the numbers bit towards the back of the report. Our care priorities To ensure that patients, children and families receive outstanding care from everyone they come into contact with. To ensure that care is delivered fairly and equitably to our local population and to lead the provision of community services to ensure that excellent care is delivered to patients in their own homes (or care home).
Areas we cover Keech Hospice Care supports adults living in Luton and South Bedfordshire and children and their families from across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes.
Chapter 1 Providing excellent care
What we wanted to do in 2013/14 To ensure that patients, children and families receive outstanding care from all they come into contact with.
Care at the end of life is becoming more complex. Our patients have experienced the devastation of receiving a diagnosis of a life-limiting and incurable condition. Many have experienced lengthy stays in hospital and undergone extensive and intensive treatment. In order to enable patients to stay out of hospital and receive appropriate and effective treatments in a comfortable and friendly environment, substantial changes were made to our adult day support services and in 2012, the Keech Palliative Care Centre (KPCC) was born.
Our centre provides emotional support, symptom control and holistic assessment to patients and their families. In September we extended our service to offer even more therapies such as intravenous infusions and blood transfusions to our patients in Luton. We hope to extend this vital service to our patients living in South Bedfordshire. These new developments in our Palliative Care Centre enable patients to be treated in the comfort of the hospice before returning home and avoiding lengthy hospital appointments and admissions.
Reaching more people than ever before Since introducing a programme in 2012 where every patient is assessed and offered a personal care plan the numbers of people receiving care from our centre has increased by 48%.
In 2013/14 Keech Palliative Care Centre treated 215 patients 205 adults and 32 relatives had complementary therapy sessions 22 children and 11 relatives had complementary therapy sessions
Supporting non-cancer patients We care for everyone who needs our expertise. We care for all conditions and disease types. Our doors are open to everyone who needs us. This year, following the success of the motor neurone disease multi-disciplinary team (MDT) and the palliative respiratory non-malignant MDT both set up in December 2012, Keech has now set up the chronic integrated heart failure pathway to provide care for patients with heart failure. This has been a two year working partnership project with consultants from the hospital, a cardiologist, the specialist team and community services.
In 2013 – 14 Keech developed new community support programmes for people with respiratory disease within the community. “ I thought hospices only cared for people with cancer. Having been diagnosed with Bronchiectasis and Mycobacterium Avium Complex I didn’t think there was a place for me at Keech but thankfully, I was wrong.” Margo Mauton
We now have 59 patients supported in the community through this pilot project and expect this area to grow in 2014 – 15
Supportive therapies We recruited two new art therapists and a music therapist for our adult and children’s services
Music and art therapy At times it can be difficult to put feelings and experiences into words. Both music and art are very powerful mediums that can affect us all in very different ways. It can resonate with our feelings, enabling us to express ourselves and to communicate with others. Both music and art therapy aim to use these qualities to help support our patients in expressing thoughts, feelings and experiences with a qualified music or art therapist. In May 2013 we recruited two new art therapists to work across adult and children’s services.
Tracey Moffatt’s daughter Maddie, received art therapy after the death of her Nan. Tracey said: “Art therapy has helped Maddie get back to her old self; she is doing well at school and generally has a smile back on her face, which is lovely to see. “ Keech’s support has been wonderful and I can’t thank everyone enough. It has made a very difficult time more manageable and knowing Maddie was receiving the help she needed made it easier for me to cope with my own grieving.” Tracey Moffatt
In September we extended the team to include a music therapist. Rather than describing music therapy we thought we would let you see a session for yourself. Charlie Hall, 13 has generously decided to share her music therapy session with you. To see a recording go to www.keech.org.uk/music 22 adults and five relatives had art therapy sessions. 14 children and one relative had art therapy sessions
In six months 14 children and one relative had music therapy. 20 adults and three relatives had music therapy sessions
Maddie Moffatt
Our patients often tell us that pain is what they are most afraid of. One essential component of our palliative care is managing symptoms and pain relief. We know that freedom from pain allows the highest quality of life possible for as long as possible. We have a great deal of experience in pain relief and always manage the total pain – emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual.
Heidi’s story Heidi, 40 was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 exactly two months before her wedding. Four years later further investigations showed that she had secondary cancer that had spread to the base of her spine. Heidi was transferred to the In-patient Unit at Keech where at first - under her own admission - she was resistant to being taken. “ I knew what a hospice meant and didn’t understand the purpose of being there when I was fighting it and going to get better. During the time I spent at Keech I received pain management that helped enormously, particularly at night when I used to wake up in agonising pain. My medication enabled me to finally sleep through the night for the first time in months. The staff went above and beyond the call of duty not just with me but with my family too. I’d come to terms with my situation and was ready to fight while everyone else was falling apart around me, but the nurses were brilliant and really supportive. The nurses knew how much I was missing my husband so they’d make up a bed for him when he came and they even put cooked breakfast out on the patio and wheeled me out there so we could eat it together! They were so thoughtful.”
Mark’s story Mark Hearne was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 14. Mark received support from Keech community nurses who helped manage his pain. Mark’s mum Karen talks about the vital support they received and how Mark was able to remain pain free. “ The doctor said there was nothing more they could do. Mark, my 15 year old son would not get better. The treatment had worked – it had been a success – for just two weeks. Then the cancer returned. Thankfully, Mark was never in pain. The Keech community nurses made sure of that. Whether it was chasing doctors, getting prescriptions or just giving us advice, they were always there. They taught me how to administer the correct pain relief and medicine to enable Mark to enjoy the things he liked to do when he was sick. Towards the end they were with us every day. This provided us with a great deal of reassurance. I didn’t have to worry about Mark being in pain, or the medical side of things. I could just concentrate on being with him and holding his hand until the very end.”
121 patients were admitted to our In-patient Unit. 86 adults were admitted for pain/symptom management
Providing end of life care. We make sure no one has to face dying alone. It is really important that no one is left to die alone. There are no second chances to get it right so we make sure we do everything we can to ensure patients’ wishes are respected and support them to achieve a peaceful death. We sit with patients, hold their hand and reassure them that we are there. Some want music, some want it to be quiet, some just want you to hold their hand – we make sure we create the atmosphere they want. Even after death we still talk to them. We explain exactly what we are doing, that we are going to roll them onto one side, or that we are washing them. We talk them through every step. To us, even after death, they are still the person who entered through our doors. Personally, the thing I find the hardest is watching the relatives going home – away from the security we can provide at the hospice.
Chris* had first come to the In-patient Unit to help manage his pain. At 49 he had received a late diagnosis of a very aggressive form of cancer. He had lost faith in the medical community. He came to trust Keech and on his third visit he talked about his fear of dying. He had two daughters but he didn’t want them to know that he was dying. We spent a lot of time with Chris and talked about how he could approach the subject with his daughters and how we could help support them too.
Chris died very peacefully with his family by his side. His family wanted to stay at the hospice until the funeral directors came as they had promised not to leave him alone. When they were ready we helped them with the practical issues such as organising the death certificate and offered our bereavement support. Kim Theobald Adult In-patient Unit Sister
He was in a lot of pain. Every time his pain increased so did his anxiety because to him it indicated that death was imminent. He spoke about his fear of dying alone. He wanted to know how he would know when he was dying. Would he be able to talk? We advised him that people tend to get sleepier and that we ensure they are comfortable and that their family is updated constantly. We told him that we would try to never let him be alone, not for a single moment and that we, along with his family, would be there to hold his hand. *Names and personal information have been changed. The story has not.
Personalised, compassionate and caring, we try to fulfil every last wish Keri Emerton was just 38 when she died at Keech last year. Keri’s sister Kate Pitchford talks about her vibrant, fun-loving sister and how Keech fulfilled her dying wish to feed her beloved horse Sherman one last time. Following Keri’s death Kate posted a photo of her feeding Sherman on Facebook and received over 60,000 likes. The photo that moved people around the world shows hospice care at its best – personalised, compassionate and caring.
Having everyone around was very important to Keri. She would often ask “is so and so here” and I’d say “Yes, just a couple of rooms away.” That pleased her. A doctor asked Keri if there was anything she wanted them to do. Keri said she wanted to see her horse Sherman and feed her for the last time. The next thing we saw was a horse box coming up the lane – Keech had made it happen!
We pushed Keri’s bed outside. “ She was 37 when she was diagnosed When she called out to Sherman with non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. it was the first time I had heard her Throughout Keri’s illness we always voice upbeat in ages. Sherman came believed her cancer was curable. It straight over. It was such a moving was only the day before she came to experience. Her end was very Keech we found out it was terminal. peaceful with all Keri’s friends and family gathered round. Keech was We came to Keech straight from the right place to be. the hospital. And not just Keri either but the whole family and We were all chatting and laughing. all of Keri’s closest friends and Dad apologised to the nurses for colleagues from her work at all the noise we were making only easyJet. We were relieved to come to be told how lovely it was to hear here as Keri hated the hospital. laughter. That just summed up the Keri stayed at Keech for eight days. Keech experience for me. They did It was amazing, the nurses and everything possible to make all of staff accommodated all of Keri’s us feel comfortable and at home.” family and friends so warmly. Kate Pitchford
We provided end of life care to 74 adult patients
After the birth of their daughter Lexi, Danny and Sam were told the devastating news that their new baby would not survive. The couple brought Lexi to Keech for her final few days where they were able to be a family. “ After the birth the doctor gave us the results of the MRI scan and she had tears in her eyes. Our baby girl was not going to get better. Staff from Keech visited us and explained what the hospice did and how they could help. We were very worried, it’s a hospice after all - somewhere old people go to die. We were reluctant but thought we should at least see what it was like.
We were shown to our room which felt so homely and welcoming. Unlike the hospital which was cold and clinical, Keech felt like a home full of fun and bright colours. A nurse told us she’d ordered our dinner and that she would look after Lexi. This small act of kindness was incredible as we hadn’t been thinking of looking after ourselves but we were able to have dinner knowing that our little girl was being taken care of. Our family joined us and were always welcome; unlike the hospital there were no special visiting times. Keech allowed us to be a family. We had 19 days with our little girl. The six days we were at Keech were truly special. Our only regret is that we didn’t go there sooner.” Danny and Sam Kerr
We provided end of life care to 23 children. Five children died on the In-patient Unit and 18 deaths were supported in the community
Bereavement care Our care doesn’t stop at death. We recognise how the death of a loved one turns your world upside down. As well as the emotional turmoil and sense of loss, there are often practical considerations as well. We offer bereavement support to all members of the family for as long as they need it. Our bereavement support workers will help the family deal with the practical matters that follow a death as well as offer emotional care and support.
I carried our beautiful son Ben down the corridor towards the Meadow Suite accompanied by my family and a member of staff. This was possibly the hardest part of our time in Keech as I feel it was the final acceptance that our boy had now become an angel. Debs from Keech had made the room ready for Ben and for us. Suddenly the room felt more comfortable and warm as we lay our baby down. Debs spent time making him comfortable using his blanket to ‘tuck him in’ as I requested. Ben Vassiliou Varney died at Keech just before his first birthday. Ben’s family spent After spending some time with Ben time with Ben in the Meadow Suite. Maria, we left the room, trying to take in the Ben’s mum, talks about their care events of what had just happened and following Ben’s death. the realisation that things would never be the same again. Debs approached me “ As Ben’s parents we had never a while later and asked if I had a CD that anticipated the numbness and complete Ben enjoyed listening to ‘as it would be emptiness that follows watching your nice for him to have some company’. What child take their last breath. I am going to an amazing suggestion! Ben never slept share the very personal moments of care well, let alone when it was quiet. She then that were shown by Keech’s amazing staff asked if I was still happy for his hand prints and will stay with me forever. to be taken and together we chose the paper and paint I wanted. At one point They showed us that, although Ben may during this time I went to see Ben and have passed he was very much still with us there was Debs chatting away to him as and very much thought of. After Ben had she cleaned his hands of the paint. taken his last breath in our arms we gave I remember thanking her and she our family members the opportunity to replied saying how it was still important say goodbye and give their last kisses to for him to know what she was doing. him. We then decided it was time for Ben I remember being so touched at what to move in to the Meadow Suite, the room can only be described as a true sign of that frightened us the most ever since our respect for my beautiful boy. arrival to the Children’s Unit within Keech.
Adult services – 139 people accessed bereavement support In 2013 the number of attendees attending our Light up a Life event increased to 855 from 708
As Ben’s first birthday was only three days after his passing we felt unable to be at home without him. This wasn’t a problem whatsoever and the staff made us feel we were welcome to stay despite our loss. They assisted us in attempting to gain an understanding of the events of the previous few weeks and the few valuable days we had spent at Keech, our last as a complete family unit. Three months passed and I believe for us as parents we began to see the harsh realisation that our amazing blue eyed boy was gone forever. My life was never going to be the same, but then I remembered Steve, the bereavement care worker, saying he was always there if we needed him. The following week Steve came to my house as at that time I couldn’t bear the trip back to Keech. For months he supported Owen and I by offering ‘one to one’ sessions that allowed us the time to process what had happened. Eventually, we were able to take that dreaded step and drive a journey we never wanted to remember and go back to Keech to see him. Through my sessions I was also able to seek guidance for my son Jack as he was so young too. Two years on and I feel just as supported by Keech as I did when Ben was there with us. We attend the Shoulders of Support parents meeting which has been hugely supportive and give us the opportunity to meet with other parents who have experienced the tragedy of losing their child.”
Children’s services – 76 people accessed bereavement support
“ Megan loves coming to Tots and Toys and gets so excited when we pull up to the building. She has done lots of painting and loved doing the footprints. She thrives on the interaction and loves all of the noise and the attention she gets!� Keech is so important to all of us as a family. It allows Megan social time where she is treated like a normal little girl, and for us as parents, not just for social interaction, but we are also learning how many things we can do with our daughter. We have had lots of fun making special memories as a family.� Tina Greene
In 2013 – 2014 52 families attended day support therapy
Chapter 2 Caring for people in their own homes
What we wanted to do in 2013 – 2014 To ensure that care is delivered fairly and equitably to our local population and to lead the provision of community services to ensure that excellent care is delivered to patients in their own homes (or care home). Although we are caring for more patients than ever before, there are still many more that could benefit from linking in with Keech. We are determined to reach all those who need our help. We are also determined that they can access our hospice services from their own home if that is what they wish. We see our job as helping people stay out of hospital whenever and wherever possible. In 2013 – 2014 Keech launched three new services to help us reach more people and ensure care is delivered exactly where patients want to be.
1. Creating care packages to support adult patients in their own homes In January 2014 Keech launched the My Care Co-ordination Team for all palliative and end of life patients in Luton. My Care Co-ordination Team provides a single point of access for co-ordinating care packages for Luton’s adults that require palliative care. The team co-ordinate care packages for patients by working closely with hospital, community, hospice and social care colleagues. Along with the availability of a rapid response support worker, the team are enabling patients to remain in their own homes and hence reduce unplanned emergency admissions.
2. Luton Care Co-ordination Caseload We knew we had to devise a way to help us find all the people who need us. We realised that it would be much more effective to create a central database of everyone in their last year of life. By setting up a database like this it would enable us to help patients we would not otherwise be aware of. In January our new Care Co-ordination Caseload was set up for all Luton patients. The caseload also contains information about patients’ preferences and wishes, and this is used to ensure patients receive individualised care in the place they want it.
149 patients have been supported by the My Care Co-ordination Team since its launch in December 2013, only 20 of whom were already known to Keech
3. Rapid response workers In February Keech launched the rapid response service which responds to patients at home in crisis. This service is being used by patients in the last few weeks/days of a person’s life enabling them to die with dignity and in the comfort of their home. Evidence shows that there are 2000 people in our local community in the last year of their life. By the end of the first year of setting up this register we aim to have at least 25 per cent of this total registered - 500 people. In order to get more people on the register we will be lobbying and influencing GPs and raising awareness with patients who will need to consent before their names are able to be included.
Hospice care in the hospital Every weekend one of our specialist nurses is on call to visit Luton and Dunstable Hospital to help manage the care of patients who would benefit from hospice care. On one occasion our Head of Care spotted a patient whose death was imminent and sat with him until the end. “ While I was waiting to speak to a doctor at the nurses station I spotted a very poorly looking elderly gentleman. His breathing had changed. I could see he was very close to death, alone, in the middle of a busy hospital ward. I approached the Sister and discovered he had no family. I offered to sit with him so that he wasn’t alone. I closed the curtains around his bed to give him dignity and sat and held his hand. Within 15 minutes he died. The thought of him dying alone, on a busy hospital ward, is just so sad. We wouldn’t allow someone to come into this world alone and we shouldn’t allow them to leave alone. I felt privileged to share this special moment with him. We need to do all that we can to ensure situations like this don’t happen.”
Getting people home from A&E “ A female in her 50s was admitted to A&E with a seizure. She had cancer and was very unwell. The hospital contacted Keech’s My Care Coordination Team to see if there was anything we could do to help. We secured extra funding and were able to very quickly put a care package in place. This meant the lady only spent four hours in A&E and was able to return home to her family for her remaining weeks. As well as benefiting the patient and family it also saved NHS funds by the hospital being able to discharge their patient within four hours.” Elaine Tolliday Head of Care
Hospice at home Keech Hospice at Home service provides highly trained volunteers to visit patients and families at home, providing someone to talk to outside of their own family or social group. This service represents all that is good about hospices (help, support, love, understanding and care for those diagnosed with a life-limiting illness and their loved ones) but provided in the comfort and privacy of the person’s home.
Kazi’s story “ The team realised how isolated and alone I was feeling so recommended that I could benefit from the ‘Hospice at Home’ service. Colin soon began coming to visit me at home and we became great friends. We would go out shopping together, go for walks and Colin would even take me to the mosque. Our bond became stronger and stronger over the months and we have learnt so much from each other. I have taught Colin about my faith and in return Colin has taught me how to cook. Before I started with the Hospice at Home scheme I was very depressed as I didn’t have any friends or family for support but my friendship with Colin has pulled me out of this and we now have a father and son type of relationship.”
Our Hospice at Home service supported 149 patients through trained and supervised volunteers providing informal support to patients, their families and carers in their own home
Community Support for families Our Children’s Community team is made up of experienced sick children’s nurses – RSCN or RN (Child) and palliative care support workers. When a child is admitted to hospital one of our community nurses will be there – to provide support and assurance. We link in with other professionals and experts and do whatever we can to ensure the child gets the best care. Families we support do not need to travel to the hospice in order to receive our nursing care. We are always just a phone call away and are ready to provide support when and wherever it is needed.
Anjum’s story “ Keech had been a constant presence in Fatima’s life from the moment she was diagnosed as a baby to the moment she died just three days before her 7th birthday. The Keech nurses regularly came to our home and would make sure Fatima was never in pain. They would help administer her medication, liaise with our GP and even go to the chemist to pick up Fatima’s prescriptions.
Until you have a seriously sick child you can’t comprehend how important it is having nursing support in your own home. Fatima didn’t travel light and it wasn’t easy to get her out of the house. To have nurses come to us made a very difficult situation a little bit easier. They would travel with us to Great Ormond Street Hospital so that I could concentrate on the driving knowing that Fatima was being looked after in the back. Fatima was admitted to Great Ormond Street for quite a major operation. She picked up an infection and remained in hospital for 12 weeks until she died. During that time Keech were in constant contact and came to visit us regularly in hospital and was there to support us when she died.”
Our Children’s Community Support team provided 232 children and their families with 1,101 visits in 2013 – 2014 and provided advice and support over the telephone on 1,500 occasions
Evie’s story
Some of our children need to use different toys to the ones they had played with previously. Some parents may need help in learning how to play with their child and come up with sensory activities that the child can enjoy. Following a review of our services we further developed our role of play specialist to visit more children in their own homes. As part of the play sessions our play specialist identifies aims and objectives designed specifically for the child. These include a range of activities from encouraging eating through to memory work.
“ Evie loves her regular visits from Jennie, the Keech play specialist. It gives her a chance to play and learn and experience new sensations. Evie needs to play with special toys as her old toys would make her dystonic. Through her visits Jennie taught me how to play with Evie and what she would respond to.
52 families supported by our play specialist 522 visits to families’ homes and the hospice
Living in St Albans, Hertfordshire it is not always easy to come into the hospice, so it is wonderful that I also get so much support in my own living room. Whether that is Mary, Keech’s palliative care support worker helping to sort out our care package or talk about housing or benefits or Jennie coming for some specialised play with Evie. Keech is now a huge part of our life. Do I wish it wasn’t – of course. But Evie and I need Keech and we are so glad it is there. Keech is helping us pick up the pieces and build a new family life – my beautiful girl deserves nothing less.” Kim Baron
Chapter 3 Our resources We wouldn’t be able to provide the care that we do without carefully managing three very important areas – our buildings, our people and our finances. Keech Hospice Care is fortunate in that we have many committed volunteers and fundraisers who help ensure the hospice is equipped to support patients and their families.
Our buildings We had always dreamt of upgrading our facilities but never thought it would be possible until two grants from the Department of Health Capital Grants programme and generous capital grants from the Valiant Trust and Montague Thompson Coon Trust made it possible. During 2013 – 2014 Keech underwent extensive building work to improve facilities for our families and adult patients. In June our new reception area, kitchen and restaurant were formally opened by Lady Dixon who generously supported this redevelopment. A new family suite in the Adult IPU funded by the Department of Health was created providing a sitting room and accommodation for families to be able to stay overnight. The work continues into 2014 with a new day care area in the Children’s Unit alongside a new sensory room, teenage room and upgrading the play ground and family dining room. This building work is being funded by a grant from the Department of Health, The Amateurs Trust and a donation by a kind benefactor.
Our people The type of high quality care that we provide doesn’t come cheap. We are only able to do this because our army of committed volunteers give up their time so willingly.
We have over 1,400 volunteers who work across every part of the hospice. In 2013 – 14 over 388,620 volunteering hours were given. This equates to millions of pounds!
Ron Willett – Volunteer Gardener
Joyce Leek – Catering Volunteer
“ My wife Rita died at the hospice 14 years ago. I’ll never forget the wonderful care she received while she was there and how wonderful the nurses and all the staff were. Being a volunteer and being able to give something back to the hospice has been very rewarding. All the volunteer gardeners, including me, put as much time as we can into tending the large grounds so that patients, families, volunteers and staff can enjoy them.”
“ I have been volunteering here at Keech for the last 11 years. I help make teas and coffees on the Adult In-patient Unit for the patients and their families. I lost some family members to cancer and this prompted me to want to volunteer at Keech. I felt it would be nice to come here and help in whichever way I could. I love chatting to people and visitors as well as the nurses and doctors.”
Jodie Harris – Lifeguard Volunteer
Rajput Tarlok – Shop Volunteer
“ I have been volunteering as a lifeguard at Keech for nearly two years now. It’s a rewarding job to have and it’s very grounding. It makes you realise just how lucky you are in life and grateful for everything you have.”
“ We never know what we find when we go through the bags. Nothing beats the excitement of finding something special that will really help the hospice.”
Our income Our work is only made possible thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters and our inspirational volunteers. Donations come from a variety of sources, but whether from regular monthly donations, imaginative corporate support or elaborate fundraising challenges, your support really does make a huge difference. We would like to thank every supporter for each vital pound donated this year.
£10,484,000 Total income
£3,832,000 Was raised through our 32 shops. We opened new shops in Bishops Stortford, Hertford, Hoddesdon and Watford. We also opened our very first £1.99 or less shop in Letchworth. Our five new shops generated £147,000 income.
£3,686,000
£536,000
Was raised from our lottery
£400,000 Was raised through our events. Highlights included our annual Star Walk, Santa Run, Smiley Sam and Christmas sleigh floats.
Total voluntary income increased by 42% to nearly £3.7million. This included £1million of trust income restricted to capital development projects.
£23,000
Our Friends of Keech groups raised more than £23,000 and continue to play an invaluable role in fundraising and awareness.
£721,000
Was raised through legacies. One person in every 7 we help is thanks to people who remember us with a gift in their Will.
£2,154,000 Was raised through statutory funding. This included £426,000 restricted to capital development projects
How we helped our patients and families
7. 1. 6. 2.
How you gave your help £’000 1. Voluntary income 19% 1,974 2. Legacies 7% 721 3. Lottery 5% 536 4. Retail 37% 3,832 5. Statutory funding 16% 1,728 6. Capital grants - voluntary & statutory 13% 1,417 7. Other 3% 276 Total 10,484
5. 3.
4.
For every pound raised (through non-trading income) 2. £’000 1. Charitable activities 88% 3,886 2. Fundraising 11% 510 3. Governance 1% 35 Total 4,431
3.
1.
Note - non-trading is voluntary income, investment income and statutory income. For every pound raised through trading, 27p goes to charitable activities due to the high costs of operating the shops, for example rent and overheads.
How we helped our patients and families 5. £’000 1. Adult hospice 35% 1,762 4. 2. Palliative Care Centre 14% 695 3. Children’s hospice 31% 1,601 4. Children’s Community team 8% 393 5. Supportive care 12% 637 Total 5,088
1.
3. 2.
Keech needs millions so will my £10 really make that much of a difference? A resounding yes! £77,520 was raised through donations of £10 or less – so every single penny you give makes a huge difference to the care we can provide.
Chapter 4 The year ahead 2014/15
As fast as we are extending and developing our services the need is outstripping us. The need for our services is growing and we need to make sure we can raise enough money to secure our services for the future. This is why need to ask for help. This is why we need to ask for YOUR help. We are determined to do even more to reach every person who needs our support and enable people to remain in their homes with their families. Our ambition is to be the area’s leading provider of specialist and palliative care. Over the next 12 months we will further develop and grow our care team to cover all aspects of health and social care. We aim to have in place a lead consultant for both children’s and adult services alongside the appointment of a physiotherapist and occupational health therapist. Providing care at the start of a patient’s journey In partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support and Cambridgeshire Community Service we are developing a Palliative Rehabilitation Service. We know that people who have been newly diagnosed are sometimes left unsupported. They may not feel that they would benefit from support services or they may simply not be able to access services at an early stage of their disease because they are considered ‘too well’. Our ambition for next year is, as part of this service, a Palliative Rehabilitation Team will be formed and will incorporate a physiotherapist, an allied health professional technician, an occupational therapist and a palliative service coordinator.
Fatigue Management Programme, Self Management Programme and exercise regimes for palliative patients at any stage of their disease, all with the prerequisite of offering services and links outside of Keech or the hospital clinical environment; empowering people to live successfully and effectively whilst living with a non-curative disease. BraveHerts and extending our service into Hertfordshire Through our research we know that there are at least 400 families living in Hertfordshire who have a child with a life-limiting condition. Currently we only have capacity to support 150 of them. That means there are at least 250 families left to cope with a seriously ill child alone. We want to make sure we reach every single child in Hertfordshire and give them and their families the support they need; at the time they need it most. This is why Keech has decided to launch its first ever fundraising campaign across Hertfordshire. We hope that it will help raise awareness and encourage a sense of local ownership of Keech as the children’s hospice for Hertfordshire and will encourage people to support our vital work. Our BraveHerts project aims to raise £2 million over the next three years to extend our service so we can reach every child who needs us.
Specialist medical expertise - Paediatric Consultant sessions available at Keech Our aim is that from August 2014 until March 2015 we have agreed with Luton and Dunstable Hospital to share a Paediatric Consultant for two sessions a week. New single bereavement pathway for children and adults One bereavement pathway for both children and adults has been developed and has been presented to the Clinical Governance Committee at their meeting in September 2014. There will also be further bereavement services developed in 2014 – 15 including a telephone support line for people who are post-bereaved and whose family were cared for by either the Adult or Children’s Services at Keech and an outreach post- bereavement drop-in group. Education and research Palliative care is continually evolving and must change as patients’ conditions and needs change. We must find the best and most effective ways of delivering what our patients need and this means continually reviewing what we do and searching for new treatments and systems through research and partnership with others. Over the next 12 months we aim to develop our educational services and train health and social professionals in palliative and end of life care. We will also help to educate patients in exploring self help management techniques to enable them to have as high a quality of life as possible.
We want to thank every person who has shared their story for our annual report 2013/14.
Please help Keech be here for everyone who needs it. To make a donation go to
The support of our stakeholders is critical to our success and the trustee board would like to thank everyone who plays a role in our work – from the generous supporter who contributes with gifts of time and money, to the skilled professionals who maintain the high quality of our services, to NHS colleagues, to the families who put their trust in us. We are determined to continue making a difference. With your help we can.
Anne McMeel Chair
Mike Coward Vice-Chair
Maria Collins
Michael Hubbocks
www.keech.org.uk/donate To make contact call 01582 492339 or email info@keech.org.uk
Colin Skidmore
Angela Harkness
Danny Kerr
Karen Proctor
Leslie Robertson
Rob Ryall
Sukh Saini
Fatima Fazal
Special thanks to Pat Garrard who retired as Chair in January 2014 and former Trustee Tobi Collett.
£5 million 2 5 309 1 180 is needed to provide our hospice services penguins visited the children’s service to help create some extra special memories
family members were supported by our adult service
2,668 overnight stays
new shops were opened making 32 shops
calls to advice line (adult service)
712
unicorn visited our Tots and Toys group
adults and children were supported (468 adults, 244 children)
We still need to reach 1,532 adults who need our help living in Luton and South Bedfordshire.
3 counties
are covered by Keech: Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes
400 37 ladies took part in our Star Walk
(and raised ÂŁ56,000)
children attended Sparklers sibling support group
3,832,000 is our total retail income
96
family members were supported by our children’s service
ÂŁ3,686,000 was raised by our supporters, corporates, trusts and fundraisers
We still need to reach 356 children who need our help living in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes.
What we do Symptom control and pain management
Specialist palliative and end of life care
Day support
Education for health and social care professionals
Specialist medical treatments and interventions
Short breaks Bereavement care
Hydrotherapy Children’s Day Support Services
In-patient care
Family suites
Art and music therapy
24 hours nurse – led advice service
Palliative Care Centre (adults)
Children’s Community Services
Complementary therapy
Social work – providing support, information and advice to patients, families and carers.
Hospice at Home volunteers (for the Luton area)
My Care Coordination Team (adults in Luton)
Can you spare three minutes? For an even better description of what we do watch our new animated film at www.keech.org.uk/film BBC Radio 4 Archers’ fans may recognise one of the voices….
The story of Keech We are here to support our local communities but we also depend on our local communities for our survival. The vast majority of our funding comes from the community with only a small amount provided by the NHS, local authorities and the Department of Health. People can raise money for Keech in lots of ways from jumping out of a plane, running a marathon to shaving their hair! They can also shop in one of our 32 shops, leave a legacy or take part in the Keech lottery. We’re enormously grateful for whatever you can do or give. Your help and support is invaluable and can make all the difference to your neighbours, friends, colleagues (and maybe even you) who need our help.
Where we work
Charity No. 1035089
Tel: 01582 492339 info@keech.org.uk www.keech.org.uk