St Oswald’s Hospice to celebrate its people this Hospice Care Week

Staff and volunteers from various roles and services across St Oswald’s Hospice will be sharing what hospice care means to them this Hospice Care Week, which takes place October 9-15, with the theme ‘We are Hospice Care’.

Hospice Care Week is an annual awareness week organised by Hospice UK. It provides a chance to highlight hospice care nationwide and the incredible work being done by staff and volunteers, who support more than 300,000 people in the UK every year.

Steph Edusei, CEO of St Oswald’s Hospice, said: “Hospice care is there for everyone. We want people across the North East to know we are here for you, whoever you are. By ‘we’ I mean our people – absolutely everyone who works or volunteers for us – we are hospice care.

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 “We know it is our staff and volunteers who make St Oswald’s Hospice the warm and welcoming place it is and really make a difference – in whatever role they do – and we will be sharing what hospice care means to them during the awareness week.

Dianne Hughes has been volunteering at St Oswald’s Hospice since her husband, Bob, sadly died at the Hospice in August 2022 having been diagnosed with bowel cancer.

 Bob previously made referrals to the St Oswald’s Hospice’s Children and Young Adult’s Service through his job as a social worker. It was his wish for his end-of-life care to be at the Hospice.

Dianne now volunteers as a receptionist at the Hospice to help welcome patients and their families.

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She said: “The team were so amazing to me and my husband that I wanted to give something back.

“I feel so blessed to have met and married Bob but more importantly, he got his wish to pass in such a wonderful place.”

St Oswald’s Hospice is also hoping that sharing a variety of staff and volunteers’ stories will challenge the idea that hospices are only for end-of-life care.

 Reiki is just one of the complementary therapies provided to patients, families and carers at the hospice.  They can also access hypnotherapy, reflexology, massage and music therapy.

 Hospice Care Week 2023 comes a few weeks after Hospice UK released data showing that England’s adults’ hospices have faced a real-term cut in Government funding of £47million in the last two years.

To find out more about St Oswald’s Hospice services, its job and volunteering opportunities, or how you can support, please visit: www.stoswaldsuk.org