Since St Giles Hospice was founded, the needs of our patients and their families has been at the heart of all that we do and we have continually adapted to ensure this. Over the last 18 months, the hospice has been faced with huge challenges as we have continued to deliver high quality care throughout the pandemic. Like many other charities, the pandemic impacted us financially, with shops closed and fundraising events cancelled.
Prior to the pandemic, St Giles was entering in to the planning of a new care strategy that was focussed on recognising the changing needs and wants of our patients alongside the changing demographics in our communities.
However, the situation the hospice and the country has been faced with over the past year has seen this strategy paused whilst we worked hard to adapt and work through these unseen challenges the pandemic brought, as well as ensuring that we support our colleagues in the NHS through the most difficult of times.
As a result, we have made many changes in the way we deliver our care and support for our patients and families in 2020. As we now reflect on the experiences of delivering specialist end of life care in a pandemic, we are taking the learnings to shape our future and are now progressing with the development of a new three year strategy.
St Giles Hospice always has, and always will, put high quality care at the centre of all we do for our community and, while we adapt to a post-pandemic world, this will continue to be our driving force.
Like many charitable organisations the financial upheaval we have experienced over the last year has to be taken in to account and part of our strategy will focus on developing a revised model of care that is clinically and financially stable to secure the future of our hospice for generations to come. St Giles is committed to the strategy that emerged from the Patients of the Future work which encompasses direct care, supporting the health economy – including with education, and community development which includes well-being services for patients not known to the hospice.
Over 80% of our care is delivered to patients out in the community and in patients’ own homes through our community nursing and Hospice at Home teams, as well as our bereavement services. We know from our patients and their families, as well as research in the sector, that more people wish to die at home. Our care strategy focuses on continuing to support this wherever possible and to work with our NHS partners to make this a possibility for more people.
Therefore, as part of our three year strategy and stabilisation plan we will be prioritising four key areas of our care strategy:
1. Between 2016 and 2018 we were able to open six additional beds at our hospice in Whittington. At the time we didn’t know whether this would be a temporary or permanent move as charitable funding is often uncertain. Sadly now, in 2021, we will close these beds. This has been a difficult yet considered decision to ensure the 19 beds remaining will be staffed to a high level and continue to deliver the high quality of care for our patients that we are known for.
A consequence of the pandemic is that people with a terminal diagnosis are choosing to stay at home for as long as possible. Therefore, when a stay on-site with St Giles is required it is for a shorter period of time. This means that we will be seeing a similar amount of people in our 19 beds as we would have done before the pandemic in a higher number of beds. The change in beds will not impact our Sutton Coldfield patients due to differences in commissioning arrangements.
2. Like many organisations during the pandemic, we had to pause our face-to-face group support services, including our Day Hospice. We recognise that these services were important in bringing together people who are living with a terminal diagnosis to support each other in order to help reduce a sense of isolation, whilst also allowing us to help manage their condition. Our aim now is to create alternative ways to support people over the coming months that will see the return of group activities, outpatient clinics, and video consultations designed with our patients in mind and to suit the needs of the individual.
3. From research and from listening to our patients, we know that more people are wanting to die at home, rather than in a hospital or hospice setting. We will work with our health and social care partners to create a level of care within the home that is equal to being supported at the hospice.
4. We are concerned about people diagnosed with cancer in the months prior to and those diagnosed during the pandemic and the impact this has had. Research suggests that there will be at least a 7% increase in the number of people who are diagnosed with a terminal cancer. St Giles was originally founded in response to deficits in care for people with cancer in the 1970s and just like the passion that was in place then, we will work with our NHS colleagues to ensure the very best access to care and support for people who find themselves in this distressing situation.
Our new three year care strategy will enable St Giles to focus our charitable funding on those who we can best support whilst continuing to deliver high quality palliative care in the most cost effective way. It will also enable us to continue to provide support via our advice line and bereavement help points which are open to everyone and group activities for specific groups to support a better quality of life whilst living with a terminal disease.
Due to current vacancies and recent staff changes, we do not anticipate that the proposed closure of beds will result in significant staffing changes.
We understand that you may have questions about our three year care strategy, so please see below for our FAQs.
St Giles Hospice is currently reviewing the design of its care services to better meet the needs of its patients in a post-pandemic world. Therefore, as part of our three year strategy and stabilisation plan we will be prioritising four key areas of our care strategy:
1. Between 2016 and 2018 we were able to open six additional beds at our hospice in Whittington. At the time we didn’t know whether this would be a temporary or permanent move as charitable funding is often uncertain. Sadly now, in 2021, we will close these beds. This has been a difficult yet considered decision to ensure the 19 beds remaining will be staffed to a high level and continue to deliver the high quality of care for our patients that we are known for. A consequence of the pandemic is that people with a terminal diagnosis are choosing to stay at home for as long as possible. Therefore, when a stay on-site with St Giles is required it is for a shorter period of time. This means that we will be seeing a similar amount of people in our 19 beds than we would have done before the pandemic in a higher number of beds.
2. Like many organisations during the pandemic, we had to pause our face-to-face group support services, including our Day Hospice. We recognise that these services were important in bringing together people who are living with a terminal diagnosis to support each other in order to help reduce a sense of isolation, whilst also allowing us to help manage their condition. Our aim now is to create alternative ways to support people over the coming months that will see the return of group activities, outpatient clinics, and video consultations designed with our patients in mind and to suit the needs of the individual.
3. From research and from listening to our patients, we know that more people are wanting to die at home, rather than in a hospital or hospice setting. We will work with our health and social care partners to create a level of care within the home that is equal to being supported at the hospice.
4. We are concerned about people diagnosed with cancer in the months prior to and those diagnosed during the pandemic and the impact this has had. Research suggests that there will be at least a 7% increase in the number of people who are diagnosed with a terminal cancer. St Giles was originally founded in response to deficits in care for people with cancer in the 1970s and just like the passion that was in place then, we will work with our NHS colleagues to ensure the very best access to care and support for people who find themselves in this distressing situation.
From research and from listening to our patients, we know that more people are wanting to die at home, rather than in a hospital or hospice setting. We will work with our health and social care partners to create a level of care within the home that is equal to being supported at the hospice.
The pandemic has forced the hospice to work in different ways and, as a result, the closure of six beds will allow the hospice to make the necessary financial savings whilst minimising the impact on the high quality care we are able to provide for our patients.
It forms part of our wider three year strategy that encompasses service redesign based on patients’ needs.
Our three year strategy is designed to ensure that we can provide the right high quality care in the right place and at the right time for our community. We have listened to our patients and their families and have learnt from different and challenging ways of working during the pandemic and want to ensure that learning is reflected in the years to come.
It is important to note that there will be no changes to our 24 hour Advice and Referral line, which is the first port of call for anyone in our community who needs advice or support around hospice care.
Between 2016 and 2018 we were able to open six additional beds at our hospice in Whittington. At the time we didn’t know whether this would be a temporary or permanent move as charitable funding is often uncertain. Sadly now, in 2021, we will close these beds. This has been a difficult yet considered decision to ensure the 19 beds remaining will be staffed to a high level and continue to deliver the high quality of care for our patients that we are known for. A consequence of the pandemic is that people with a terminal diagnosis are choosing to stay at home for as long as possible. Therefore, when a stay on-site with St Giles is required it is for a shorter period of time. This means that we will be seeing a similar amount of people in our 19 beds than we would have done before the pandemic in a higher number of beds.
Whilst closing beds is something no hospice wants to do, we are committed to listening to what matters to our patients and families and adapting our services to meet those needs, whilst balancing our financial stability to ensure that the hospice is here for generations to come.
Over 80% of our care is delivered to patients out in the community and in patients’ own homes through our community nursing and Hospice at Home teams, as well as our bereavement services. We know from our patients and their families, as well as research in the sector, that more people wish to die at home. Our care strategy focuses on continuing to support this wherever possible and to work with our NHS partners to make this a possibility for more people.
This decision to close six beds will allow us to adapt to a post-pandemic landscape and offer a range of services that achieve high quality care for our patients and families in line with their wishes, as well as supporting our healthcare partners. It will enable increased resilience for St Giles Hospice and contribute to our wider objective of improved end of life care for everyone in our community.
Over 80% of our care is delivered to patients out in the community and in patients’ own homes through our community nursing and Hospice at Home teams, as well as our bereavement services. We know from our patients and their families, as well as research in the sector, that more people wish to die at home. Our care strategy focuses on continuing to support this wherever possible and to work with our NHS partners to make this possible for more people.
In order to respond to the wishes of patients and their families, and reach more people with specialist needs, we are proposing to close six beds out of the current 25 available on our Inpatient Unit. A consequence of the pandemic is that people with a terminal diagnosis are choosing to stay at home for as long as possible. Therefore, when a stay on-site with St Giles is required it is for a shorter period of time. This means that we will be seeing a similar amount of people in our 19 beds than we would have done before the pandemic in a higher number of beds.
This approach will allow the hospice to make the necessary financial savings whilst minimising the impact on the high quality care we are able to provide for our patients.
Every bit of space at our hospice in Whittington is valuable and used to provide care and support for the patients and families we serve in the best way possible.
We would like to use the space for people who need ‘day case’ activity to reduce the symptoms of their terminal disease and to improve their wellbeing. We are having conversations with healthcare providers as this will be the ideal environment.
We will always respond to a patient in crisis whenever we can and until this space is used for other activity we might adapt our bed numbers slightly. Of course, the NHS is also looking at their post-pandemic strategy and additional, recurrent funding might mean we adapt our strategy again.
We will be working with our teams to begin the process of reducing the number of inpatient beds during June 2021. No patients will be discharged as a consequence of this decision and the safe high quality care of our patients remains our top priority.
We do not anticipate that the proposed changes will result in significant staffing changes or affect the high quality of care we are committed to delivering.
Our three year strategy is designed to ensure that we can provide the right high quality care in the right place and at the right time for people in our community. St Giles Hospice always has, and always will, put high quality end of life care at the centre of all we do for our community and we will continue to listen to our patients and their families. We know from our patients and their families, as well as research in the sector, that more people wish to die at home. We will work with our health and social care partners to create a level of care within the home that is equal to being supported at the hospice.
We are committed to delivering the best end of life care no matter where the patient is. It is impossible to know what the future will bring, however these six beds will close for the foreseeable future.
For patients and families: Our patients and families should be reassured that they are our absolute priority. We will continue to provide the best possible end of life care across our community and no patient will be discharged as a consequence of this decision. We are always happy to talk with our patients and their families about their care. Anyone with further questions or concerns can contact us at advice@stgileshospice.com
For staff: We appreciate this proposal brings a level of uncertainty and we will be supporting our staff through these changes. Any staff with further questions or concerns should contact their line manager or the HR team at hr@stgileshospice.com
We do not anticipate that the proposed closure of these beds will result in significant staffing changes.
For volunteers: We would be unable to provide our high quality care without the support of our workforce of volunteers across all of our services. Any volunteers with further questions or concerns should contact their line manager or the volunteering team at volunteer@stgileshospice.com
We anticipate additional opportunities for volunteers to get back to work post-pandemic and look forward to welcoming new volunteers to the team.
Our high quality care will continue to be provided from our Inpatient Unit and out in the community. Our patients remain at the centre of everything we do.
We believe that any changes to our services will improve the level of care we are able to offer to our patients and their families and we are always happy to talk with our patients and their families about their care.
If you have specific questions regarding the care of a loved one please contact us at advice@stgileshospice.com or call 01543 432031.
We appreciate this proposal brings a level of uncertainty and we will be supporting our staff through these changes. Any staff with further questions or concerns should contact their line manager or the HR team at hr@stgileshospice.com. We do not anticipate that the proposed closure of these beds will result in significant staffing changes.
St Giles Hospice remains committed to delivering the best end of life care to those living within our community.
Over 80% of our care is delivered to patients out in the community and in patients’ own homes through our community nursing and Hospice at Home teams, as well as our bereavement services. We know from our patients and their families, as well as research in the sector, that more people wish to die at home. Our care strategy focuses on continuing to support this wherever possible and to work with our NHS partners to make this possible for more people.
In order to respond to the wishes of patients and their families, and reach more people with specialist care needs, we are proposing to close six beds out of the current 25 available in our Inpatient Unit. A consequence of the pandemic is that people with a terminal diagnosis are choosing to stay at home for as long as possible. Therefore, when a stay on-site with St Giles is required it is for a shorter period of time. This means that we will be seeing a similar amount of people in our 19 beds than we would have done before the pandemic in a higher number of beds.
Our care strategy focuses on continuing to support this wherever possible and to work with our NHS partners to make this possible for more people. We will work with our health and social care partners to create a level of care within the home that is equal to being supported at the hospice.
St Giles Hospice is a registered charity and all donations received fund the best possible patient care. We remain committed to using donated funds to deliver the charitable aims and objectives of the hospice.
All donations already made to the hospice – as well as all future donations – will continue to be used to deliver specialist care through both hospice and community services.
We must continue to raise as much money as possible to fund our care services and ask that you continue to support your local hospice if you can. Thank you so much to our community for your continued support through such a difficult and challenging time. We simply couldn’t do what we do without you.
You have just had extra money from the Government. Why are you not using that to keep all beds open?
Funding for hospices recently announced by the UK Government, along with support from local NHS services, has been provided in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated loss of charitable income that hospices across the country have experienced as a result.
As the Government itself has noted, the funding package was considerably smaller than the amount charities have lost and are set to lose through soaring demand for care and a fall in charitable donations. Any funding received from the UK Government in response to COVID-19 was designed to help cover that shortfall, not to fund future services.
St Giles Hospice is a well-known and respected local charity with strong financial oversight and governance, recognised in our recent “Outstanding” Care Quality Commission rating.
Like many hospices, St Giles has been managing an increasing demand for care services, rising costs and flat and challenged income streams since before the COVID-19 crisis. During the pandemic, the loss of shop income and the cancellation of fundraising events has had a major impact upon our finances.
Throughout the pandemic, hospice management has adapted and acted quickly to reduce costs. This strong management has ensured that the hospice remains financially stable despite our loss of income and, as we emerge from the pandemic and plan for the future, we are determined to ensure that our services remain cost effective and provide maximum value for money, so that we are able to support the greatest-possible number of patients and families.
So yes, St Giles is financially stable. However, your ongoing support is critical in order for us to remain so.
Yes, we need the support of our local community now more than ever. The amount of money we spend on clinical services is increasing, and so is the demand for our care.
The ongoing pandemic has had a devastating impact on charities and voluntary services across the UK. As a local charity, St Giles has also been affected, in particular due to the loss of shops income and the cancellation of fundraising events.
Throughout the crisis St Giles Hospice has continued to care for the community’s most vulnerable people, which has eased the burden on the NHS at a time when we have experienced an increase in the number of people needing palliative care.
Our dedicated care teams continue to work 24/7 in our hospices and our community, but we have to raise £850,000 every single month just to keep our services going.
Our charity shops had to close for several months twice during periods of lockdown, only re-opening when the Government told us it was safe to do so. We have also been forced to cancel our large, organised fundraising events in 2020 and early 2021 and many of our community-based fundraising activities have not been able to go ahead.
The dramatic fall in our trading income has had a severe impact upon hospice finances, and the value of our reserves held in investments has also fallen as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. We have gratefully received support from the Government through emergency funding from NHS England, furlough payments and other grants, as well as support from our local NHS services, but we still face a significant challenge.
We hope that the new financial year will bring us 12 months of recovery, and we are asking our community to continue to make donations and raise funds for us, to volunteer in shops and at events when they are able to return, and to visit to our shops and support them as much as possible. It takes a community to make a hospice and we have never needed you more than we need you today.
The local NHS does not have the funding to deliver the services we offer, and it would actually be more costly for it to do so. The Treasury would need to make the decision to give the NHS more money for palliative and end of life care at a time when it has lots of competing priorities.
If St Giles Hospice no longer offered its care, the NHS would need to pick up the activity – not only putting increased pressure on current services but at a greater cost without voluntary income. It would cost the NHS an additional £6.2m to replace the core clinical services we provide.
St Giles provides its services using a blend of fundraising, trading and statutory income. The hospice has invested £56m in care over the past ten years from voluntary income. We provide a comprehensive range of services to support local people and their families affected by a terminal disease.
Our services include CQC-registered activity such as specialist beds; specialist community nursing; Hospice at Home and 24/7 advice, but we also provide a range of supportive care services that are fundamental to improving how people live with issues to do with death, dying and loss.
Being an independent charity and a hospice enables St Giles to provide individualised care and it is renowned for this. Our holistic, wrap-around service provides a high quality care experience for the patient and their family, which relieves the pressure on other areas of the health system. If St Giles did not provide this unique care, which is highly appreciated by the local community, it would be lost.