Welcome

to the Spring/Summer 2022 edition of Life magazine.

P.9–10 Our new Wellbeing Service is up and running

Awarm welcome to the Spring/Summer 2022 edition of Life magazine. It’s with great sadness that we begin by sharing the news that Dr Derek Doyle, one of our founding board members, and the first medical director of St Columba’s Hospice Care, died in January. Dr Doyle was a pioneer in the field of palliative care and dedicated his life to improving care for dying people around the world. Many of you may have known Dr Doyle; you may have worked with him, heard him speak at conferences or been inspired from afar. On pages 13–16 you’ll find an article detailing the key milestones of his life and work. Everything the Hospice is today, is a result of his pioneering spirit and vision. Over the past six months, we’ve been working tirelessly to adapt the way we do things at the Hospice to better serve our local community and the problems they are facing. Within the Hospice itself, we’ve repurposed our Cedar ward so we can meet the changing needs of our patients and their families.

The space is now home to our innovative Wellbeing Service which brings our wellbeing and clinical care together, helping us to achieve the very best we can for local people. In this issue, we’re honoured to be able to share Ruth Williamson’s story which

P.11–12 Ruth shares her story in support of our summer appeal P.13–14 A tribute to Dr Derek Doyle

is a powerful reminder of how vital these services are for families across Edinburgh and the Lothians. Turn to page 9 to find out more about the service and how you can support our Wellbeing journey through this year’s Summer Appeal. For the patients and families we support across East Lothian, there are times when a trip into our hospice building in Edinburgh can seem like a long way. In April, we marked the launch of our East Lothian appeal with a Black Tie Dinner at Archerfield. The appeal’s aim is to help raise funds to support the development of our newly-formed Hospice at Home team operating across East Lothian. This team is central to our long-term service delivery strategy and enables us to deliver vital support to people in their own homes. Visit page 19 to see some pictures from the event which raised over £40,000!

Helping people to live as well as possible for as long as possible while supporting their families, is so important to everyone at St Columba’s. As the medical, social and spiritual needs of our community change, we’re committed to ensuring our care does too, so we can help the people who need us most. However, none of this would be possible without you. Your continued support of St Columba’s Hospice Care ensures that the very best palliative and end-of-life care is available to the people of Edinburgh and East Lothian and their families when they need it. We cannot thank you enough.

— P.s. When it comes to delivering world class palliative care, your feedback is invaluable to us. We want to know what’s important to you. So, if you have comments or concerns about any aspect of our service please get in touch by emailing info@stcolumbashospice.org.uk.