hospice brochure - St Raphael's Hospice

Caring for Patients and FamiliesWe treat a wide range of illnessesPatients are referred by GP’s, hospital consultants,or hospital clinical nurse specialists (CNS)Every year, St Raphael’s Hospiceprovides specialist care for some 900patients, suffering a wide range ofillnesses. While the vast majority of patientshave some form of advanced cancer,around 10 per cent are suffering fromother conditions. The hospice also providesadvice, support and care for patients withmotor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis,end-stage organ failure and HIV/AIDS.The hospice cares for patients from allbackgrounds and age groups [18 years andabove]. While most of the patients areolder, it is not unusual for St Raphael’s toprovide care for people in the 20s or 30s.To receive the care of the hospice, apatient is referred by a GP or hospitalconsultant or hospital CNS – and thereferral criteria are simple and few.According to Medical Director, Dr MarieJoseph, a hospice referral is suitablefor those patients with a progressivelyworsening, incurable illness with anestimated prognosis of several monthsrather than years.Once referred, the patients will bevisited initially by a clinical nurse specialistSome of the St Raphael’s Medical Team, led by Medical Director, Dr Marie Joseph.who will assess their needs and liaise withthe GP and district nurse to arrange thenecessary medical and nursing or practicalsupport.St Raphael’s Hospice takes amultidisciplinary approach to providingthe best treatment for those who comeunder its care. Dr Joseph is an experiencedconsultant in palliative medicine, and sheheads up a team of consultants, physicians,consultant psychiatrist, specialist withanaesthetic experience, specialist registrarsand senior house officers/medical trainees.A network of GPs and specialists to provideExpert Symptoms Control Is CrucialOne of the fundamental aims ofcare at St Raphael’s is to providecomfort and dignity to dyingpatients; and as such, pain control is amajor focus for the medical and nursingteams.Headed by Medical Director, Dr MarieJoseph, the medical team has a wealthof experience in pain and symptomcontrol. In particular, the team specialisesin managing complex pain, and has anumber of pharmacological agents andtherapies to help them in their work.Dr Joseph explains: “Pain is one of themost common reasons GPs refer patientsto us. We get patients with a variety ofcomplex symptoms, and more than a few‘Pain is oneof the mostcommonreasons GPsrefer patientsto us’on-call work has also been developed.Supporting this medical team are theexperienced palliative care nurses andclinical nurse specialists, Pastoral CareSister, health care assistants, a part-timephysiotherapist, a clinical pharmacist, anoccupational therapist, a nurse counsellor,social worker, discharge nurse coordinator,bereavement co-ordinator and wardclerk. The entire staff of over 100 arecomplemented by more than 180 hospicevolunteers, who are overseen by thevolunteer services coordinator.of them come to us with neuropathic pain –which is the worst pain imaginable. In thesesituations, I invite the patient to a painmanagement clinic where we go through theaetiology of the disease and the pain anddetermine the best course of action.Specifically, we can prescribe neuropathicpain relieving agents such as Ketamine andMethadone. These medications are bestinitiated under continual supervision, whichwe can provide at St Raphael’s”.Such expert symptom control and painmanagement is crucial, because if these arenot managed, patients can experience severeemotional distress and begin to devaluetheir lives,” stresses Dr Joseph.The Hospice needs to raise over £3 million a yearKeith Witham, Director of FundraisingThe Hospice is open 24 hours a day, 365days a year. Our services cost over £4million a year – of which three-quarters– over £3 million annually depends on charityfundraising, donations and legacies. On thispage, I have summarised all the various waysin which we raise that money each year.We are grateful to everyone who supportsSt Raphael’s in so many different ways.Without your support, the charity simplywould not be able to do what it does.We particularly depend on gifts thatfriends and supporters leave in theirWills. If this is something that youare able to consider, it would be very muchappreciated. We have a scheme (details at theback of this magazine) whereby a number oflocal solicitors will create or update a Willat any time of year, and donate 10% of theirfee to the hospice. If you would like to takeadvantage of this, the participating solicitorsare listed on page 23.Keith Witham, Director of FundraisingDONATIONS: The most straight forward way to support the work of the hospice is to make a donation. Cheques payable to “St Raphael’sHospice” may be sent to Fundraising Office, St Raphael’s Hospice, London Road, North Cheam, Sutton SM3 3DX. All donations areacknowledged. Donations can also be made by credit card or debit card, either by post or by telephone (020 8335 4576).CHARITY SHOPS: We have nine shops, which rely on volunteers and donated goods. If you could spare some time each week to help inyour local shop – or you have goods that can be donated, please contact on 020 8330 4501. See page 12 – and please gift aid them.HOSPICE LOTTERY: This is a weekly draw, which costs £1 per entry, per week. It’s payable in advance for up to a year at a time. The FirstPrize each week is £1,000 drawn each Friday, and there is also a “rollover” prize which can accumulate up to £10,000. All the profitsgo to the hospice. There is also a facility whereby if you want to support by having any winnings go back to the hospice as a donation,that can also be arranged. All membership enquiries: 020 8335 4576. Any lottery admin enquiries (direct debits etc): 0870 241 4506.EVENTS: We run a series of fun events during each year. There are sponsored walks such as along the River Thames in London, aLadies Only “Midnight Walk” held at the Hospice in September, and a fun Santa Dash when everyone taking part is dressed as FatherChristmas! We have an annual “Light up a Life” Appeal in the autumn, up to Christmas in conjunction with a Carol Service held atthe Hospice usually on the first Sunday of December, when the Hospice Christmas Tree lights are turned on. There is a Summer Fete, aChristmas Bazaar – lots of events, all raising money for the Hospice.COMMUNITY FUNDRAISING: We rely a great deal on many local groups and voluntary organizations such as Rotary Clubs, Schools,Churches, Masonic Lodges, youth groups such as the brownies, pubs and clubs, and many more as well as individuals, who raise fundsand then donate the money to St Raphael’s. There are other community events, mainly sponsored activities, such as the LondonMarathon each year. We also have ten local volunteer supporter groups covering local areas of the hospice, whose role is to raisefunds and increase local awareness of the hospice. They are always looking for extra help! All these activities are co-ordinated by ourCommunity Fundraiser and her Team.IN MEMORY DONATIONS: We are fortunate that many supporters of the hospice give donations in memory of a loved one. On manyoccasions, the first financial support we receive is when a family member has died, the family ask not to have flowers at the funeralexcept for close family, but for donations to the Hospice instead. We have some specially made donations envelopes that are suitable forthis purpose, supplies are available on request from the Fundraising Office.TRIBUTE FUNDS: We have the facility of “Tribute Funds” which are named in memory of individuals. Donations are given to the hospicefrom any form of fundraising or personal donations, and are then recorded under the name of a loved one.TRUSTS AND FOUNDATIONS: A number of local grant giving charitable trusts support the hospice by giving donations either towards therunning costs of the hospice, or to special projects.LEGACIES: As mentioned earlier, this is a vitally important source of income and support for St Raphael’s. In any year, between 25%and 33% of the hospices charitable income can be from gifts that friends & supporters leave in their will. There is information lateron in this brochure about how to leave a legacy gift, that will benefit St Raphael’s in the future. We have a “Lifelong Friends” scheme,whereby anyone who tells us that they have remembered the hospice in their will (not in detail as we recognize that is a very privatematter) but that the hospice has been included, can be recognized as a “Lifelong Friend” of St Raphael’s, as a token of our appreciation.CORPORATE AND EMPLOYEE FUNDRAISING: People raise money through their work, and sometimes companies also match what theiremployees have raised. There are sponsorship opportunities and an Honorary Patrons Group. Our Corporate Fundraiser co-ordinates these.APPEALS: We have appeals during the year, ranging from our Spring Sunflower Memories Appeal, through the summer when there areSunflower collections at local venues, and our annual Light up a Life Appeal. Information about current appeals are shown on our website.St Raphael’s Hospice welcomes your support. Find out how you can help us, tel: 020 8335 4576 www.straphaels.org.uk8 8 Find out how you can help St Raphael’s. Ring 020 8335 4576 or visit www.straphaels.org.uk 9