I don't think life would be the same without my Gosforth care
This Hospice Care Week St Oswald’s Hospice is celebrating the many ways hospice care is “more than you think” – the national theme for this year’s campaign, led by Hospice UK.
As well as providing specialist palliative and end of life care at its base in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, St Oswald’s Hospice supports people across the North East through a wide range of community-based services.
This can include outreach for children and families, specialist lymphoedema clinics, and bereavement support.
For South Shields resident Jason, that care has been life changing. He was diagnosed with melanoma in 2011, which later spread and caused painful swelling in his arm, leading to a Lymphoedema diagnosis.
Since 2023, Jason has been supported by St Oswald’s Hospice Lymphoedema Outreach Clinic at Cleadon Park in South Tyneside.
Jason explained: “Having the clinic close by has been such a lifeline. Travelling into Newcastle for hospital appointments isn’t always easy, but here I’ve got expert help right on my doorstep. It’s reassuring knowing that kind of support is right here in the community when I need it.
“The support from the clinic hasn’t just helped me physically – it’s meant I can carry on working, still get out on my bike, and spend quality time with my wife. Without that support, I don’t think life would be the same. I can’t praise the team enough.”
St Oswald’s Hospice also provides Bereavement Support, offering one-to-one and group sessions to help people come to terms with the death of a loved one.
Vivien, from County Durham, turned to the Hospice after her husband Alan died suddenly. Her son Nialle, who was in his late twenties at the time his dad died, has cerebral palsy and learning difficulties.
It was suggested to Vivien that St Oswald’s Hospice may have the expertise to help Nialle and he has been receiving regular support since then.
Vivien explained: “When Nialle first started to come here, he was an angry young man. It wasn’t long after we’d lost his dad – he really struggled. Denize, his bereavement practitioner, has been very patient and empathetic, and has helped him come to terms with his dad being gone.”
Reflecting on the impact of these services, Steph Edusei, Chief Executive at St Oswald’s Hospice, said: “Hospice Care Week is about showing people that hospice care is so much more than they might expect.
“When people first hear the word ‘hospice’, they often think only of the very end of life.”