CEO’s Statement illustration

CEO’s Statement

In over 40 years of the Hospice providing care and support across Edinburgh and the Lothians, this last year has undoubtedly been our most challenging yet. Palliative and end of life care doesn’t stop because of a global pandemic and I’m incredibly proud of the dedication and flexibility of our team in meeting those challenges head on.

While Covid-19 has caused us to challenge and change our way of working, having a strong understanding of our core organisational model has helped us to make positive, practical changes. Throughout 2020/21 we continued to develop, grow, and innovate our services – how they are delivered and how they are run – in support of our commitment to “Adapt to a Changing World”.

We're building a system that’s even better adapted to people’s needs and gives more choices in relation to their own health and well-being

We're building a system that’s even better adapted to people’s needs and gives more choices in relation to their own health and well-being

For example, by quickly adopting digital solutions, we enabled primary care to switch to online and video consultations. Importantly, the increased need for support in our community was evident quickly and we noted a swift change in community behaviour with far fewer people accessing care by attending the Hospice. We’re determined to explore how we can use the momentum of recent change to build a system that’s even better adapted to people’s needs, reaches everyone who needs our support and empowers people to be more in control of choices in relation to their own health and well-being.

We’ve learned a range of lessons that will be important as we settle into this new financial year and effective digital engagement is at the forefront. Our team has embraced platforms such as Zoom and Teams to communicate effectively with each other but also to engage with stakeholders improving our approach to networking, learning from others and supporting others with information. Collaboration and partnership have been key to maintaining our services and the unique circumstances have afforded us a moment to review how we can best reallocate our resources and use digital technology to provide the community with simple access to high-quality, timely care in other ways.

Our community team has grown in terms of the geographical area they cover, the numbers of patients supported and the number of hours provided to patients

Our community team has grown in terms of the geographical area they cover, the numbers of patients supported and the number of hours provided to patients

Over the course of the year our community team has grown in terms of the geographical area they cover, the numbers of patients supported and the number of hours provided to patients. The restructure of the team has resulted in many more people having the opportunity to receive end of life care in their own homes. In response to outpatients being unable to attend the Hospice in person, our clinical and counselling staff have integrated virtual consultations and support into daily service delivery, meaning everyone who needs it can access our services no matter where they are.

Looking ahead, our aim is to build on the learnings we’ve gleaned through Covid-19 across our main areas of work so that we have modern services that truly meet and reflect our demographics’ needs. Our new strategy has been built on three key themes, Create, Empower and Sustain. These themes work together and often overlap, with the meeting point of all three areas being our central concern, the people we support and the workforce who make this possible.

With this in mind, over the next year we plan to:

  • Extend the hospitality service to run 7 days a week by introducing trained volunteers to the team.
  • Extend on our Compassionate Neighbours support to include face-to-face relationships.
  • In April 2020, the pandemic brought the need to immediately close day therapies and due to restrictions in group activities, it has remained closed since. Our plan now is to take this opportunity to start afresh and move away from the traditional day model to a more responsive outpatient model of care providing a flexible choice of clinical and supportive care services as part of the Cedar Ward short stay unit.
  • Commence delivery of outreach services from Haddington House.
  • Develop the nurse-led model of care within the inpatient unit.
  • Commence an international song writing project in collaboration with a palliative care unit in Greece.
  • Deliver leadership awareness sessions across the organisation.
  • Undertake the staff pay and reward modernisation project.
  • Launch the QMU and SCHC Hub for Person Centred Palliative Care.
  • Extend children and family support to the wider Lothian community previously unknown to Hospice.
  • Pilot a new model of inpatient care with nurse led care beds and rehabilitation short stay beds.
  • Host a stakeholder event for health and social care professionals showcasing our strategic developments.
  • Reintroduce face-to-face education, focusing on topics which facilitate engagement and discussion, supporting the learning process and linking it with practice. Initial sessions will centre around mental health, communication and direct clinical skills.
  • Continue developing interactive educational content and to review all mandatory training modules, courses and resources to increase engagement and offer more flexibility to our team.
  • Invite external speakers from a range of backgrounds to do presentations, host discussions and encourage shared learning.

We’re looking forward to being able to fill the Hospice with the love, warmth and happiness it has always had

We’re looking forward to being able to fill the Hospice with the love, warmth and happiness it has always had

Amidst all the change and uncertainty we’ve experienced over the last year, one thing has remained the same, and that’s our commitment to serving the needs of our patients and their families. As we begin to regain a sense of normality, we’re looking forward to being able to fill the Hospice with the love, warmth and happiness it has always had, and for our community patients to be able to be surrounded by the people who matter to them most.

There is so much that St Columba’s Hospice Care has done and continues to do, to be extraordinarily proud of during this time. We have an excellent team, big-hearted supporters and a strong platform from which to adapt our operations to fit the changing landscape. As always, I would like to extend a huge thank you for your continued support, we couldn’t do it without you.

Jackie Stone,
Chief Executive Officer

‘There is so much that St Columba’s Hospice Care has done and continues to do, to be extraordinarily proud of during this time.’ Jackie Stone, CEO

‘There is so much that St Columba’s Hospice Care has done and continues to do, to be extraordinarily proud of during this time.’ Jackie Stone, CEO