Spring 2021
St Luke’s News
P4 Quiet Reflection P10-11 Spring Shopping P16-18 Butterflies of Love
Time for new beginnings S
pring is a time of growth and change, and for 2021 a time to hope of better things to come. Thank you for standing by our side over the last year, we are so lucky to have your ongoing support with over 85% of our funding coming from voluntary donations. Your help means so much and makes a real difference! As we look forward to a brighter spring and summer, we must also acknowledge the challenges that so many of us have faced and sadly the loss and grief that has affected so many families and friends.
Contents P4
A time for quiet reflection
P6-7
Our Lymphoedema Service
P10-11
Spring Shopping
P12-13
St Luke’s and The Christie
P15
Spring into Summer Superdraw
P16-18
Butterflies of Love
P19
The Midnight Walk
Writing this note for the newsletter gave me time to reflect on how we have adapted at St Luke’s - changing our working practices, expanding some of our services and adding different elements such as ‘virtual’ services for patients and carers. We have also taken the opportunity to ‘refresh’ our decoration and public areas and added some comfort enhancements to our ward and Day Hospice. Some of the new ways of working will stay with us now as we move forward to our ‘next normal’. I feel very proud that we have kept our Hospice open throughout the pandemic and I am particularly How to contact us St Luke’s Hospice, Grosvenor House, Queensway, Winsford, Cheshire CW7 1BH T 01606 551246 E enquiries@slhospice.co.uk www.slhospice.co.uk
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pleased that we have been able to make good provision for patient visiting. Undoubtedly the impact of not being able to see our family and loved ones has affected us all, and is even more important for patients staying with us and their families. For more than 30 years St Luke’s has relied on the kindness and generosity of you, our loyal supporters, and in a time that was so difficult for you I also reflect on how privileged we are to still have your support in 2021.
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Spring for me is the best time of the year. With all that rain and sunshine comes new life. Finally after a long winter, nothing feels better than shedding your winter coat. Small flowers start to pop up; the first buds appear on the trees; birds start to sing early in the morning; the daylight is back and the sun up at 6am.”
Dr Andrea Graham As you read this newsletter, I hope you feel updated on what has been going on at the Hospice over the last few months and, looking ahead, find some of our spring fundraising ideas appealing. We have really missed being out in the community, with our fundraising events sadly cancelled and all our shops closed for long periods of time.
We also miss working alongside our amazing volunteers who, in normal times, contribute so much to our Hospice. We sincerely hope that we will see you all again soon. Every day takes us one step closer to overcoming the pandemic and one step closer to being together once more with our families and friends. Let’s take each day at a time and look forward together to a hopeful spring. With very best wishes
Dr Andrea Graha m Dr Andrea Graham If you would like to make a donation or raise money to support the care we provide, please call 01606 551246 or visit www.slhospice.co.uk. We really would appreciate your support.
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A time for quiet reflection
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ello, you may have been part of the National Day of Reflection which took place on Tuesday 23rd March to remember those who have died during the pandemic, and to show support for everyone who has been bereaved over the last 12 months. Marie Curie estimates that over three million people have been bereaved since the pandemic began, yet many have been unable to properly say goodbye to loved ones or grieve in the normal way.
We do not “ remember days,
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On behalf of all the team at St Luke’s we would like to acknowledge the loss in our own community and send our thoughts to all those experiencing sadness and grief.
we remember moments.
The passage shown here is one that we share when supporting people in their grief, for quiet reflection and to resonate with some of the feelings people may experience. Here at St Luke’s our Family Support and Counselling team has been working closely with our Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy team to meet the increased demand for our services and reach as many people as possible and we hope our offering has made a difference to all those families we have supported and will continue to support. We hope this passage may offer you a level of comfort at this time. It may also be something to pass to a friend or neighbour as we all look out for each other with the tremendous community spirit we know is so alive in Cheshire. Sending our good wishes to you all.
Chris Jackson Family Support & Counselling and Spiritual Care & Chaplaincy Manager
Chris Jackson 4
A referral form can be completed by a healthcare professional or you can contact St Luke’s Family Support and Counselling Team by visiting www.slhospice.co.uk/familysupport
Surviving in the Sea of Grief
- by G Snow
As for grief, you’ll find it comes in waves. When the ship is first wrecked, you’re drowning, with wreckage all around you. Everything floating around you reminds you of the beauty and the magnificence of the ship that was, and is no more. And all you can do is float. You find some piece of the wreckage and you hang on for a while. Maybe it’s some physical thing. Maybe it’s a happy memory or a photograph. Maybe it’s a person who is also floating. For a while, all you can do is float. Stay alive. In the beginning, the waves are 100 feet tall and crash over you without mercy. They come 10 seconds apart and don’t even give you time to catch your breath. All you can do is hang on and float. After a while, maybe weeks, maybe months, you’ll find the waves are still 100 feet tall, but they come further apart. When they come, they still crash all over you and wipe you out. But in between, you can breathe, you can function. You never know what’s going to trigger the grief. It might be a song, a picture, a place, the smell of a cup of coffee. It can be just about anything...and the wave comes crashing. But in between waves, there is life. Somewhere down the line, and it’s different for everybody, you find that the waves are only 80 feet tall. Or 50 feet tall. And while they still come, they come further apart. You can see them coming. An anniversary, a birthday, or a family occasion. You can see it coming, for the most part, and prepare yourself. And when it washes over you, you know that somehow you will, again, come out the other side. Soaking wet, sputtering, still hanging on to some tiny piece of the wreckage, but you’ll come out. Take it from one who knows the waves never stop coming, and somehow you don’t really want them to. But you learn that you’ll survive them. And other waves will come. And you’ll survive them too.
Our Lymphoedema Service
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ur lymphoedema clinics are an important part of the care services offered by St Luke’s, with more than 1,000 people receiving help each year.
St Luke’s is fortunate to have two Lymphoedema Specialist Practitioners based at the Hospice; Carol Thayer and Kirsty Sewell-Threadgold have between them over 50 years’ nursing experience. But what is lymphoedema and how is it treated? We chat to Kirsty who tells us more about the service and how it benefits patients.
Carol Thayer
Q. What is lymphoedema?
Q. How is it treated?
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Patie nt vo ic
Thank you for all your professional and emotional support with my lymphoedema. I appreciate all the help you have given me, you went above and beyond.
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A. Lymphoedema is a long-term condition which causes swelling in the body’s tissues. It can affect any part of the body, but usually develops in the arms and legs. It is caused by a failure of the lymphatic system which can be the result of an inherited genetic condition, cancer treatment, injury or infection.
A. There is no cure for lymphoedema but it is possible to control the main symptoms using techniques to reduce fluid build-up and stimulate the flow of fluid through the lymphatic system.
At our clinics we provide skin care advice which is very important because one of the biggest risks with lymphoedema is developing an infection called cellulitis.
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For more information about our lymphoedema service please visit www.slhospice.co.uk/lymphoedema
Exercise is also very important because without exercise and movement, lymphatic fluid will not move. We will then prescribe hosiery if appropriate. Q. Where are the clinics held? A. Once a referral is received, the patient will be invited to the Hospice for their first appointment to have an initial assessment. An individualised management plan will be drawn up with the patient and initially they may attend a clinic every few weeks until their lymphoedema is stabilised.
Kirsty Sewell-Threadgold We have satellite clinics in Alsager, Crewe and Nantwich and following the first assessment patients will be seen as close to home as possible. Q. How important is this service? A. We are very lucky to have this service. Across the country there is a disparity in services due to funding and some patients won’t have their lymphoedema identified or managed. We are therefore very lucky to have this service commissioned by St Luke’s and now jointly run with Cheshire Community Integrated Care Partnership and Macmillan Cancer Care. In 2020, a total of 1,189 patients accessed the clinic either through face to Patie nt vo face appointments or by telephone ice After many years of various consultation. This was made possible because of your continued support treatments for my lymphoedema thank you. elsewhere, after my appointment with you I felt more reassured Patie nt vo than I ever have. You were ice extremely courteous and helpful Thank you so much for your and I look forward to attending time and effort...you have the rest of my appointments. changed my life.
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For more information about our lymphoedema service please visit www.slhospice.co.uk/lymphoedema
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Busy improving our Hospice
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ith some teams working remotely and less people in the Hospice, our maintenance team of Jackie, Dave and Karl wasted no time at all to take the opportunity to improve our building, enhance our Covid procedures and generally get stuck in and ‘refresh’ all areas of the Hospice for our families and patients.
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We want to thank them, the often unsung heroes of our team, as this has helped so much and been a brilliant support to the nursing teams.
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- Dr Andrea Graham
Our building was purchased in 1987, when local fundraising groups worked hard to generate enough money to buy Grosvenor House, a then large detached property set in 1.5 acres of land on Queensway, Winsford. The building was bought for £75,000 and we remain here today, firmly embedded in the local community. The first patients were admitted in April 1988 and the goal was that Grosvenor House would have the ambiance of a large comfortable family home. Today 8
Dave and Karl we still want to retain that feeling but with all the modern amenities for patient care and ensuring we meet all the requirements for a safe environment. The challenge for Jackie, Dave and Karl is to keep the Hospice ‘in tip top condition’ but also to do it while we remain open, so during a quieter time over the past 12 months, they have pulled out all the stops to do things that simply cannot be done when we are using all the rooms. The other challenge is that sadly like all of us, our building is aging and not as young as it once was. It is thanks to you, our loyal supporters, we have been able to improve our hospice inside and out, making sure the money you kindly donate is used wisely for our sustainable future.
You can help us to plan for the future by becoming a Friend of St Luke’s and making a regular donation to support our work. Please visit www.slhospice.co.uk/friends
Committed to continuous improvements for patient comfort and safety Here are just some of the improvements which have been made to our Hospice by Jackie, Dave and Karl over the last 12 months.
Decorated bedrooms adding new soft furnishing, increasing comfort for our patients
Installed new secure key card entry and electronic contactless sign in systems
Modern new seating in our waiting areas and patients areas, supporting improvements for infection control
New flooring in patient areas to support improvements for infection control
Installed all new energy efficient lighting across the whole hospice, helping us to be more ‘green’
Built new ‘covid friendly’ patient visiting area
Covid friendly hand sanitising stations and perspex screens to support staff and visitors
Office areas reconfigured to ensure safe working for all staff
Brand new and upgraded phone system, supporting cost improvements and enhanced technology
New heating system and boilers for improved comfort, warmth, cost and energy efficiency
Flatscreen smart TVs added to all the bedrooms
Enhanced outdoor spaces ready for 2021!
You can help us to plan for the future by becoming a Friend of St Luke’s and making a regular donation to support our work. Please visit www.slhospice.co.uk/friends
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Hello Spring!
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ur online shop is packed full of fabulous gift ideas, tempting treats and home inspiration. As everything you buy raises money for St Luke’s, it is guilt-free shopping at its best! Here is a sneak peek at some of the items you can expect to see... Invest in rest! Sleep is essential for the wellbeing of your body, mind and soul yet lots of people struggle to get enough of it that’s where Spacemasks can help! Spacemasks are selfheating jasmine-infused eye masks that will transport you to another dimension - relieving tiredness, eye strain, headaches and many other tensions. The warmth comes alive as soon as you open it. So make sure you’re fully reclined and ready for lift-off! £15 for a pack of 5.
Get out in the garden Now spring is upon us we can start to enjoy more hours of daylight and warmer temperatures once again, and it is a great time to spend some time outdoors and get in our gardens. Our brand new range of garden accessories make perfect gifts for a green-fingered loved one or just a treat for yourself! Butterfly Tea Light Holder £7.95
Potting Shed Hooks £8.95
Cast Iron Hanging Basket Bracket £9.95
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Pack of 20 Incense Sticks with Holder £1.50
Wall Hanging Bottle Opener £9.95
www.slhospice.co.uk/shopping
Happy Shopping Kit out your kitchen Add a splash of spring colour to your kitchen with this fabulous new ‘Buttercup and Bee’ range from Emma Bridgewater. Guaranteed to brighten up any day, we have melamine picnic plates, storage tins and tea towels to name just a few!
Set of 3 Storage Caddies £22.95
Rectangular Biscuit/Cake Tin £8.95 Deep Well Tray £8.95
Buttercup Tea Towel £11.95
Spring scarves and accessories Our new collection of spring scarves, jewellery and accessories are perfect for adding the finishing touch to any outfit, and they make a great gift for a stylish lady!
Spring Handbags from £6.95
Purses from £9.50
Floral Headbands £6.95
Spring Scarves from £6.95
www.slhospice.co.uk/shopping
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St Luke’s working with The Christie
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ere at St Luke’s we are proud to host Christie Clinics at the Hospice which have continued to operate weekly throughout the pandemic. Launched in 2018, the clinics offer Christie patients the opportunity to receive the same chemotherapy, immunotherapy and hormonal treatments and support that they would have at the main hospital in Manchester – without the journey and the exhaustion this can bring. We hope the warm, welcoming and friendly environment, which St Luke’s is so well known for, helps to put patients at ease as they undergo their treatment closer to home. We caught up with Alison Boniface, a Sister with The Christie, who helped to launch the clinic in Winsford. Alison, can you tell us a little bit more about the service? Our clinic operates every Friday, from 8am until 4pm. We have five Chemotherapy chairs, which means our team of specialist nurses can deliver treatments to five patients at a time. We treat all types of cancer and see around 18 patients each day, the majority of which come from mid and south Cheshire.
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What are the advantages of having the clinic here? Our nurses and patients love coming to St Luke’s as it’s a calm, relaxed atmosphere. As the groups are small, patients and nurses get to build a rapport with each other. There are no waiting times, free parking plus we’ve got all the facilities here. How do patients get referred to the service? Christie patients are referred via their consultant or they can self-refer and their eligibility is then checked. Having the link between the Christie and St Luke’s means that patients can also access other services offered by the Hospice, including complementary therapies, symptom control and counselling so patients can get an allround approach to their treatment and care.
You can help us to continue being here for local people and their families by making a regular donation to support our work. Please visit www.slhospice.co.uk/donate
The difference it makes...
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e spoke to three ladies who attend The Christie Clinics at St Luke’s to find out how cancer treatment closer to home helps them.
For 27-year-old Mum Lorna Whiston the local clinics mean she can be back at home with her young children much quicker following her weekly treatment. Lorna from Haslington has a three-yearold son and twins who are just three months old. Lorna said: “I’ve been coming here every Friday for the past two months and I think it’s absolutely fantastic. Everyone is nice and friendly, and there’s a real sense of mutual understanding. I only live half an hour from St Luke’s, which means I can soon get back to the kids.” 41-year-old Karen Newton from Winsford likes the relaxed atmosphere at St Luke’s and is so grateful that she doesn’t have to make the journey into Manchester. “I always feel a bit special coming here, as I was the very first patient to use the service! As a result, Alison and I have really bonded and have a good laugh. It’s so relaxed and the fact that I can be home in just 5 minutes means that if my treatment has been difficult that day, it’s one less thing to worry about.” Meanwhile Sue Conde from Crewe appreciates the 1-2-1 care and the support she receives from nurses. The 47-year-old explained: “I’ve been using the service since it started and I come here every third Friday as part of my treatment plan. The nurses are brilliant, it’s all 1-2-1 care, so I feel relaxed. If I’m feeling low, they soon pick me up and to be honest I actually look forward to coming.” You can help us to continue being here for local people and their families by making a regular donation to support our work. Please visit www.slhospice.co.uk/donate
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A note from our CEO – thank you for standing by our side!
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n a year where our whole community has been through so many challenges, I wanted to offer my sincere thanks from all the hospice team to you, our loyal and kind supporters. Because of you we have been able to continue to care for vulnerable local people, providing them with the best service and helped to ease the burden on the NHS. Even without the pandemic, the demand for palliative and end of life care is ever increasing. The UK has an ageing population who are living longer with complex lifelong limiting conditions. The NHS does not always have the resources to provide the care for these patients, which is where St Luke’s is able to help. Regrettably, the increase in deaths has also led to more referrals for our counselling team however we have added extra staffing and been able to meet this demand and offer vital support. This challenging situation set alongside the realities of our limited resources means that St Luke’s Hospice is under greater pressure than ever before to find ways to do more with less. The pandemic has been a very challenging situation not only for the hospice but for the whole of the Health Service. ‘Thanks to you in 2020 we continued to care for vulnerable local people, providing them with timely end of life care, symptom management or the support that they, and their loved ones, needed.’ Despite these extraordinary challenges, there has been a real opportunity to drive positive change. In response to this St Luke’s has begun to look at how we can look after more people and reach out to support and care for more people outside the hospice. It has tested us but created an environment where we have had to adopt innovative digital solutions – a positive improvement! The delivery of local healthcare is changing as the NHS set up Integrated Care Systems combining health and social care and we are going to make sure that St Luke’s is at the heart of the development of end of life care locally. Thank you for standing by us, here’s to a more positive spring and summer for our whole community.
Neil 14
You can help us to plan for the future by becoming a Friend of St Lukes and making a regular donation to support our work. Please visit www.slhospice.co.uk/friends
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ut a spring in your step by entering our Summer Superdraw raffle and be in with a chance of winning £5,000!
With tickets priced at just £1, our raffle is a fun and easy way to raise money for St Luke’s whilst giving you the chance to win one of our amazing cash prizes. If you would like to be in with a chance of winning, please return your raffle tickets in the envelope provided or send to: St Luke’s Summer Superdraw St Luke’s Hospice Promotions Ltd, Grosvenor House Queensway, Winsford CW7 1BH
£5,000 grand prize £1,000 second prize £500 third prize £250 fourth prize Plus 5 prizes of £50
Alternatively, you can enter online now at:
www.slhospice.co.uk/summer-raffle 82p from the sale of each ticket goes directly to patient care, 10p is used for prizes and 8p is used for administration costs. Terms and conditions: The draw will take place on Friday 10th September 2021 and the winners will be notified by telephone or letter. The likelihood of winning a prize is 1 in 2,157 chance, however the patients and families we care for win with every £1 ticket bought.
Enter our Summer Superdraw online www.slhospice.co.uk/summer-raffle or return your raffle tickets to us in the post
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Butterflies of Love “Even though you flew away, in my heart you’ll forever stay.
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e are delighted to present our ‘Butterfly of Love’ - a beautiful way to remember and celebrate the life of a loved one. At St Luke’s we know that losing someone you love is one of the most difficult things you will ever experience. Our nurses make it their mission to go the extra mile for our patients and their families, so that one day those final moments will become precious memories. For us the butterfly sums that journey up – it is a symbol of hope and change, and proof that the most beautiful things can come from the darkest of times.
available for you to order in memory of a loved one or simply as a beautiful addition to your garden. For a donation to the Hospice, you can have your very own butterfly to sit in your garden, home or special place of remembrance. The butterflies are made from stainless steel and come on a 16” stem to easily be inserted into any garden or patio planter. They are the third instalment in our ‘in memory’ collection from the British Ironworks, following on from our popular forget me nots and daisies.
The Hospice has once again partnered with the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry to create the limited edition, hand painted butterflies, which are now
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To pre-order your Butterfly of Love, please visit www.slhospice.co.uk/butterfly
Purchasing your Butterfly of Love B
y purchasing a limited edition St Luke’s ‘Butterfly of Love’, you will forever be reminded of the special place your loved one holds in your heart, whilst supporting patients and families just like yours through the most difficult time of their lives.
We are asking for a suggested donation of £25 in return for a butterfly. Your donation of £25 will enable our nurses, like Kate from our Inpatient Unit, to continue to offer care and support, to hold the hand of a patient and their family, manage their pain and allow them to enjoy precious moments together. To pre-order a butterfly please visit www.slhospice.co.uk/butterfly or complete the order form overleaf and return it to us. We hope that your butterfly brings you comfort as you remember those dear to you and that it serves as an eternal reminder that together we can get through anything.
“If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies” To pre-order your Butterfly of Love, please visit www.slhospice.co.uk/butterfly
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My details Title
First name
Surname
Address Postcode Email
Phone
My butterfly My butterfly is in memory of When my butterfly is ready for collection I would like to collect from a St Luke's Hospice charity shop (Please specify which shop:) Receive my butterfly in the post (please add £5 to your order for p&p)
My donation I enclose a cheque donation of £25 / my chosen donation of £ Don't forget to add an extra £5 if you would like your butterfly posted. Please make cheques payable to St Luke's (Cheshire) Hospice and return with this form to: St Luke's Hospice, Grosvenor House, Queensway, Winsford, Cheshire, CW7 1BH.
Gift Aid it, at no extra cost to you
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Butterfly order form
If you are a UK taxpayer, the Inland Revenue will contribute an extra 25p for every £1 you donate through Gift Aid. Please tick the box below to make your donation worth 25% more.
I want to Gift Aid this donation and any donations I make in the future or have made in the past four years to St Luke's Hospice. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference. 18
Signed
Date
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The Midnight Walk 2021
Walk with us this Summer. Join our 6 or 10 mile walk in its 16th year. Walk alone, with family or with friends and be part of something very special.
www.slhospice.co.uk/midnightwalk
“Give a little, care a lot” Our Lottery is St Luke’s biggest single source of income and pays for the care of one in every three patients! For just £1 a week you could win big – just like Jean from Weaverham! Every week there is a guaranteed jackpot of £1,000 up for grabs, plus a Rollover jackpot of up to £5,000.
Sign up todaywww.slhospice.co.uk/lottery at www.slhospice.co.uk/lottery Thank you for your continued support www.facebook.com/stlukescheshirehospice www.twitter.com/StLukesHospice www.instagram.com/stlukescheshire Grosvenor House, Queensway, Winsford, Cheshire CW7 1BH Registered Charity No. 515595
T 01606 551246 E enquiries@slhospice.co.uk www.slhospice.co.uk
