If you are struggling with grief, you can find helpful resources here – www.st-gemma.co.uk/bereavement-support
If you are struggling with grief, you can find helpful resources here – www.st-gemma.co.uk/bereavement-support
“I was 24 when my Mam died.
November 21st would have been her 85 birthday and marked exactly 24 years since she passed away.
Her last few hours were spent in St Gemma’s Hospice in Moortown, Leeds and I’ve never forgotten how kind, caring and professional the nurses were.
They offered the same level of palliative care for my Mother-in-Law Sylvia when she passed away 2 years ago.
Therefore, I’m very proud to announce that I’ve accepted one of their charity places and will be running the TCS London Marathon on the 23rd April 2023 to raise money for St Gemma’s Hospice.
This will be such a challenge for me, especially as I was diagnosed with Stage 2 hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes earlier this year, and so have had to totally re-evaluate my lifestyle and drop just short of 3 stone since May.
However, nothing will stop me crossing that finish line in remembrance of my Mam, even if it takes me a week and I’ve got to crawl over it.
Therefore, I am asking for support and encouragement and I’m also looking to raise £2,000 for St Gemma’s as they are such a wonderful charity.”
By Dr Peter Belfield, Chair of Trustees
Dr Peter Belfield has been on the St Gemma’s Board of Trustees for many years and Chair of the Board for five years. At the end of 2022, we will say goodbye to Pete and welcome a new Chair. Thank you to Pete for all he has done to support St Gemma’s Hospice. In this blog he reflects on this time and shares his thoughts as outgoing Chair:
“At the end of the year, I am standing down as a Trustee after nine years, having been Chair of our Board for the last five; so now is a good time to look back and reflect on being a Trustee.
St Gemma’s is all about providing compassionate care to patients and their loved ones at the end of life. This is something that our regulator, the Care Quality Commission confirmed we are outstanding at in 2016 and again early this year. All our staff and volunteers played a part in this – clinicians providing high quality care, our fundraisers and shops tirelessly raising money for us, our volunteers who support us in so many ways and our educational and research effort which adds so much value and improves care. These things make us a leader in the field of palliative care.
Pete completing a fundraising challenge for St Gemma’s; Celebrating the first outstanding rating in 2016; On stage at 40th Anniversary event ‘A Night to Remember’ at Leeds Town Hall.
Being a Trustee is a privilege
I was appointed by interview and moved from a busy NHS leadership role and background as a doctor caring for older people to become a Trustee. A voluntary unpaid role which has been one of the most fulfilling in my career.
Trustees need “noses in everything but fingers out’. We don’t meddle in operational details but are here to support the vision of the hospice and to help us get closer to that. A Trustee’s job is to make sure we don’t get in the way but to facilitate using our wide and diverse range of experience to best effect. Working with other Trustees is rewarding and informative. Our Trustee chairs of subcommittees are enthusiastic volunteers who are still at the top of their game, so I rest easy knowing that quality, finance and governance are well covered.
Being Chair of our Board is more work but more rewarding
As Chair of Trustees, I spend more time at the Hospice and work more closely with our excellent hospice leadership team. In particular, the relationship with our Chief Executive Kerry Jackson, is pivotal to smooth working of the Board and ultimately the Hospice. We tested this during the Covid-19 pandemic when the hospice performed brilliantly despite all the difficulties we faced. I am really grateful for all the hard work of Kerry and her team and the input of other Trustees.
I am pleased that in my time as chair we have also had a greater focus on diversity and inclusion and spiritual care. We remain eternally grateful to the Sisters of Cross and Passion who founded the hospice over 40 years ago. They have given and continue to give so much.
Pete and Kerry in the Hospice gardens
Stand out moments
There are probably four big ticket items:
However, the real stand outs are reminders of the day-to-day care we provide, the uplifting patients stories we hear to start every Board meeting, my visits to shops where staff play such a vital role in their communities, meeting clinical and managerial staff at the Hospice, and being greeted by the friendly staff on reception. The love of the people of Leeds and beyond is palpable – thank you.
I shall miss being a Trustee immensely, however it is time for new leadership to help guide St Gemma’s successfully through the next decade. I step down knowing we have a wonderful group of Trustees to help facilitate this.”
Alan served in the army for many years, and returned to Leeds when his wife became ill so he could care for her. After his wife died, Alan struggled to cope and found it hard to live in the home they had shared.
One day, he locked up the house, left the keys for his family, and headed off for some space and solitude. He bought a tent and set up a base in some local woods. He enjoyed the nature and the changing seasons and this became his home for almost 30 years. He occasionally ventured into Leeds, helping the market-stallholders loading and unloading their vans, in return for some food and supplies.
Alan’s health deteriorated a few years ago and he reluctantly sought medical advice. He was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. It was around this time that Alan was introduced to Nicky, a senior nurse from St Gemma’s Hospice, who had been working with homeless people to ensure they could access the care they needed.
Nicky and Alan struck up a good relationship. By now, Alan had complications arising from his illness, and Nicky persuaded him to let her help. She helped to find him some council accommodation and she visits him regularly to ensure he has the care he needs as he enters the end of his life. This would have been nearly impossible had he remained living in his tent.
As Alan says:
“She’s my guardian angel – she has sorted out my pain, she brings me my medication and she generally just cares for me. She sometimes tells me off if I haven’t been looking after myself properly, but she does it in such as nice way! I couldn’t manage without her and I’m very lucky indeed.”
To read more about the care St Gemma’s has provided to local families and to share your story, please visit www.st-gemma.co.uk/hospicestories
With the ongoing situation in Ukraine, news of human suffering, and concerns about the economic impact, rising prices and increasing energy costs, it is a worrying time for many of us. As a Hospice, we always plan for such eventualities, but the next year is going to be particularly challenging.
After two years living through a worldwide pandemic and the challenges that brought, we are now facing the huge financial burden of soaring costs. At St Gemma’s we have already seen an increase in many of our costs such as food, supplies and even paper, but the latest news that our gas bill alone will increase by £100,000 in the next year is a bitter blow. The Hospice does not benefit from a cap on energy bills, so these unprecedented increases are really significant.
Our Family Support Team who provide practical and emotional support to patients and their loved ones are receiving more requests for financial help than ever before. More families are asking for help with everyday things such as free bus passes, even though they might not be eligible. Bereaved families are asking for additional support with funeral costs. This just adds to the stress and anxiety that patients and families are already facing.
We are doing all we can to keep our costs to a minimum and be more efficient, particularly with our energy consumption. And whilst some of our lucrative fundraising activities are feeling the pinch, we are working hard to maximise income in other areas.
We do, however, appreciate that everyone’s pounds are having to work much harder. And supporting their favourite charity may feel like a bigger sacrifice than usual.
We sincerely hope that you are able to continue supporting St Gemma’s Hospice and please be assured that every penny you give will be used to benefit the thousands of patients and their families needing our special care over the coming year. Thank you for your ongoing support.
There are many ways you can support St Gemma’s Hospice. Visit www.st-gemma.co.uk/ways-to-donate
I retired as a doctor in 2012, having spent most of my career practicing as a family doctor in South Leeds. Throughout my life I have had much experience of dealing with cancer and this has been a massive influence on me personally and professionally. My best friend died of leukaemia when I was 13. As a hospital doctor and GP I always felt I could help not only patients with cancer but also their family and friends.
Both of my parents died of cancer and I then sadly realised the true impact of being a carer.
Several years ago I became a ‘Goodwill Ambassador’ for a small local charity, The Robert Sinclair Davidson Foundation, set up by a friend whose son had died of motor neurone disease. Through my work with this charity my brother and I met the fundraising team at St Gemma’s Hospice.
St Gemma’s Hospice provides care and support not only to patients with life-threatening illnesses such as cancer but also to their families throughout their journey and continues to help families cope with bereavement after their relative has died. My brother Michael and I realised, following meetings at the Hospice, that there can be occasions when patients and families may need additional financial helpc, not provided by St Gemma’s. We set up an independent standalone emergency fund that helps to cover the cost of various needs, such as transport for families to be with their relative at the end of their life.
We support St Gemma’s as a family. My wife volunteers in the St Gemma’s charity shop on King Lane in Alwoodley. My daughter helped me obtain some raffle prizes for a recent fundraising event at Roundhay School, which my brother and I had organised. On the day, my 18-month-old grandson also went round with a collection bucket!
Every penny raised goes to help support St Gemma’s, to provide expert care and support to local people and their families at a very difficult. And it isn’t just care – they also provide bespoke education and training for healthcare professionals in Leeds and further afield.
We are proud to be associated with St Gemma’s.