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NewsIssue 119 Winter 2020

that are raised from the hub are needed in addition to statutory NHS funding because this funding covers around 50% of our actual costs. We need to raise the rest through other sources. Most of the money goes directly into clinical care with a small but necessary proportion allocated to all the support services that allow us to operate at the standards required and expected of us.

What other benefits does the retail hub have for our community?

The Arthur Rank Hospice Charity is part of the community and since the start of the pandemic, this has been even more apparent. We were bowled over by the amount of support we received and the willingness of all our staff, volunteers and supporters to go above and beyond in order to keep our services going. Whilst the retail hub supports our work, I hope that it also supports the community in return by providing a space for people to donate items that may otherwise have ended up in landfill and to purchase items that are pre-loved.

After some unavoidable delays, we are delighted to confirm our retail hub is now open! This is a much awaited addition to our more traditional charity shops found in the city, in Cottenham and Great Shelford (see page 11).

Our Medical Director, Lorraine Petersen, answers some of our questions on the new Retail Hub:

Are you excited to see that the charity is opening a retail hub?

I am really pleased that the retail hub is opening for business. Having a central place where donations can be received, stored and sorted before distribution to our shops will ensure that we have a constant supply of quality merchandise. The hub will also be a convenient place to deposit larger items and allow the range of merchandise to become more varied.

What will the funds raised through the retail hub be used for?

Our charity shops are one of the ways we secure vital funds for the hospice. All our clinical services continue to operate and our community services (seeing people at home/remotely via video or telephone) have become much busier during the pandemic. The funds

Retail update

Will you leave a gift in your Will? #IWill

Our Memory Tree is based at Arthur Rank Hospice and is adorned with bronze, silver and gold leaves. Each leaf can be purchased and dedicated to someone special. If you would like to dedicate a leaf to your loved one, we will arrange for their name to be engraved on your chosen leaf and displayed on the Tree. Every dedication also helps to fund the care we provide to patients and their families. To dedicate a leaf visit arhc.org.uk/memory-tree, or contact Chloe at chloe.laurance@arhc.org.uk or 01223 675893.

Do you know about our Memory Tree?

Newsletter2 Issue 119 - Winter 2020 3

As we head toward the end of the calendar year, it’s my pleasure to welcome you to this final newsletter of 2020. I hope you are all keeping well and that, whatever you have had to deal with throughout the year, you have experienced some pleasure and joy as well as, no doubt, heartache and frustration. We are all so grateful for the fantastic support we have received from our community this year more than ever. You have risen to the challenge, taken part in our reconfigured events such as Bridge the Gap, given generously to our SOS appeal - £89,353 (as of 1 October) and shown us your love with the many and varied donations we have received. This makes such a difference to all our colleagues working so hard to provide the best possible care for people throughout the county who are living with a life-limiting condition or who are at the end of their lives. Knowing you are thinking of us and supporting us is really motivating, thank you.

We are looking forward to other firm favourites in our calendar, our Festive 5K Fun Run and our Light Up A Life event, both of which will be different due to the pandemic and, at the start of the new year, our Christmas tree recycling scheme.

We are also very pleased that Your Hospice Lottery, another form of vital financial support, has had a successful sign-up campaign. This means more people are now playing the Lottery which as well as providing much needed income, means more people know about our work.

As you’ll have seen from previous newsletters, we have changed the way some of our services are provided, doing more virtual engagement, particularly with our Day Therapy service

(see page 8). Video and telephone consultations have also become much more of our practice whilst home visits and outpatient appointments are still offered to those that need them. Our In-patient Unit has remained open throughout and I’m pleased that whilst at points it has been necessary to restrict the number of visitors, we have never had to stop visiting altogether. We are delighted that the Clinical Commissioning Group has decided to invest significantly in our Hospice at Home service and, by the end of this year, we will have three teams providing care throughout the day and night across the county. We know many people would choose to die at home if they were offered the option, so having sufficient carers and nurses to offer this is hugely important. We are also working to develop a Palliative Hub so that everyone who is on the end-of-life register will have a 24-hour telephone line to call. We hope to have this up and running in the early part of 2021.

There’s lots of other news in this newsletter which I hope you enjoy reading. Whatever and however you choose to celebrate at the end of the year, I hope it is special for you and those you love. Thank you again for your support which means everything to us.

Sharon Allen OBE Chief Executive @sharonallenarhc

Welcome to our Winter Newsletter

Will you leave a gift in your Will? #IWill

After providing for your loved ones, did you know just 1% of your estate could help fund care for future generations. Will you leave a gift in your Will? #IWillFor more information, contact Rachael Brown, our Future Gifts Officer on 01223 675888.

Listening to people who use our services - patients, carers, families and other loved ones - is very important to help us continually improve. Hearing what matters to people and having a group of willing volunteers (our Hospice User Group known as HUG) to work with our clinical teams to understand what we can do better, makes a big difference.

Since the lockdown, we have held several virtual HUG sessions and are grateful to people who have joined and given us rich feedback. Whilst most of the feedback we get is people saying ‘thank you’ for the services provided, it is important that we also hear about what we can improve.

For example, we learned that when someone is admitted to our In-patient Unit, it would help families to be given basic information that perhaps we take for granted, such as when meals will

You said we did... be provided, how to use the TV remote control etc. We are now updating our information provision for people based on this feedback.

We heard feedback about our virtual Day Therapy provision to enable more people to take part and are taking the ideas shared into the planning of the next timetable.

Some helpful questions about aids and adaptations were raised that we are now looking into, and suggestions about timing of support for people in the community who may have other services going in were also helpful to hear about.

To find out more, visit arhc.org.uk/hospice-user-group or call Fran Gibbons on 01223 675802; we’d love to chat with you if you’re able to join us.

Shine a lightFor many of us, Light up a Life is a significant and treasured occasion. Sadly, it is not possible to invite you to the Hospice for our usual service this year. We invite you instead to watch, from the comfort of your own home, a special Light up a Life film featuring music, readings and time to remember your loved ones. It will premiere at 5pm on Sunday 6 December, remaining available to view afterwards. All the details can be found at arhc.org.uk/lual

This year has been difficult for everyone. You may have been bereaved for the first time, or had the absence of loved ones intensified by the pandemic. Through this year’s Light up a Life film, we would like to give you the opportunity and time to acknowledge this. Please join us in remembering and celebrating people who may now be absent, but whose light is present in our own lives.

Newsletter4 Issue 119 - Winter 2020 5

Thank you, thank you, thank you!A big thank you to Ickleton Allotment Society for holding a fabulous fundraiser and raising a tremendous £300 for us!

Appreciation extends also to Cambridge News for their recent £4,500 donation.

A hearty thank you to Sally Thake for staying ‘dry’ in July and raising over £1,000!

thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you

Join us from your home on Friday 4 December at 7pm for our first ever Winter Gin Cocktail Masterclass in collaboration with Pinkster Gin. Enjoy making and tasting five winter gin cocktails with friends and family from the comfort of your own living room.

Your pack will include ingredients to make five gin cocktails, and access to the tasting session followed by a live Q&A with Pinkster Gin founder, Stephen Marsh. Mark the start of the festive season by taking part with friends, family or colleagues whilst supporting the vital work of the hospice.

Tickets cost £30 per person and can be purchased by visiting arhc.org.uk/gin-night

Your very own Gin Masterclass

You have 100 days to walk 1 million steps! As we enter the new year, this is the perfect way to get 2021 started on the right foot.

In order to reach your 1 million steps by 20 April, you need to accumulate an average of 10,000 steps every day. Encourage your friends, family and colleagues to get involved and keep each other motivated along the way.

The entry fee for each individual is £12 and includes dedicated support from a member of our fundraising team throughout the 100 days along with access to a private Facebook page where you can keep in touch with other participants.

Visit arhc.org.uk/stepamillion to find out more information and to register.

Step a Million is simple…

For the award-winning run’s 10th anniversary we’re calling on people of Cambridgeshire (and beyond!) to once again don a Santa hat, limber up and raise funds for hospice care by taking part in Arthur Rank Hospice Charity’s Festive 5K!Run a 5K route of your choice on Sunday 22 November 2020 at 10.30am, so we know we are all in it together! Although we’re not able to host the event with everyone running alongside one another this year, we’re delighted to still be able to offer this fun and festive way to raise funds. Get involved at arhc.org.uk/festive5k

An all-day Festive 5K

Will you leave a gift in your Will? #IWill ?

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Neville Mizen’s Winter Quiz

Our seasonal quiz is back! Thanks to Neville Mizen and Marion Stringer, this year’s theme, ‘Flower Power’, is available for just £1. To download the quiz, please visit arhc.org.uk/fundraising/events-challenges/calendar/ For further information please call the fundraising team on 01223 675888.

Newsletter6 Issue 119 - Winter 2020 7

Did you know Arthur Rank Hospice Charity has a student volunteer programme? It was set up in September 2018 and originally planned to run until April 2019; however, due to the success of the programme it was extended and hopefully will recommence in 2021. Seven 16-17 year old young people were invited from their Further Education Colleges onto the programme.

Our Voluntary Services Coordinator, Hannah Touhey, explains more:

It’s a great way for young people in their first year of A levels, who are interested in a career in medicine or healthcare, to break down any myths they may have of hospices, gain some practical experience in health and palliative care and support their university applications by volunteering within the Hospice in a variety of roles.

One of the students, Julian, kindly took the time to share his experience with us:

When I first came to Arthur Rank Hospice for my interview, everyone I passed greeted me and I’d never seen so many smiles. When I did the interview, any nerves disappeared. After finishing this interview, I had a definite resolve. I wanted to volunteer in this very special environment.

I’ve learnt so many things from my time at Arthur Rank (Hospice). It was at my first role at the Reception ‘Meet and Greet’ that I first became aware of the diversity of those entering the Hospice. Those attending Day Therapy to those using the Education (and Conference) Centre, even to those coming simply to enjoy their meal at the Bistro. The Hospice is a place full of life, not just a centre for palliative care.

Throughout my time at Arthur Rank (Hospice), kindness shown by volunteers and healthcare professionals alike has been consistently

outstanding which has certainly made an impression on me. The positive encouraging attitude surely improves the quality of life for the patients and I’ll certainly aspire to continue in the same friendly manner which others have demonstrated to me.

My favourite role was being an IPU Assistant. It was exciting to be part of a team at the heart of the Hospice and I was grateful for the experience directly in contact with patients which was really pleasant and worthwhile. I had the morning shift which meant I got great practice at making breakfast and taking lunch orders and every shift, there are so many jobs to do and I loved going back and forth to the kitchen to the rooms with my fellow volunteer to cater for some of the needs of the patients.

Of course it was very sad to see each week, when I returned, some names were no longer on the list of patients. However, the friendly fellow IPU workers, who always showed appreciation for whatever job I did, helped to overcome this sadness.

To read Julian’s interview in full or to watch the video of Julian’s time at the Hospice, please visit arhc.org.uk/latest-news/student-volunteers-share-their-experience-at-arthur-rank-hospice/

Building strong foundations for young people

Will you leave a gift in your Will? #IWill

Brighten up your festivities and bring you a little Christmas cheer with a personalised letter from Santa! We’ll be launching soon so keep your eyes peeled to find out when Arthur Bear can start taking your requests. Once Arthur Bear has your request, he will take it to Santa who will then write back!

You will be able to order your letter either via our website or by phone. In exchange we would welcome a donation to the Hospice so that we can continue to fund the vital care and services we provide here at the hospice and in the community. For more information please call 01223 675888.

Letters from Santa is back …

As the season of goodwill approaches, we will once again be running our annual Christmas tree recycling scheme, along with the support of the council, Just Helping and numerous local businesses and volunteers.

We are inviting residents of CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5, CB22, CB23 and CB24 to make a small donation and, in exchange, our team of volunteers will save you the hassle of needles in the car, waiting for a place at the tip and help reduce your fuel costs by collecting your real tree and disposing of it for you. NEW THIS YEAR - we have added the postcode area CB21.

All trees will either be chipped at our drop-off points or taken to waste management sites for composting.

All our volunteers and staff will be working in a COVID-secure way, in line with the latest Government guidelines.

If you would like your tree to be collected, or if you can spare a few hours to volunteer, visit arhc.org.uk/tree-recycling or call the Hospice fundraising team for further information on 01223 675888.

After costs, 90% of the monies raised will go to the Hospice and the remaining 10% will be donated to The Rotary Club of Cambridge to be distributed amongst further good local causes.

Last year the Hospice’s volunteers collected 2500 trees and raised over £36,000! So, this year feel good about saving yourself the hassle of disposing of your tree and take part in this fantastic initiative. Registrations will close at 10am on Tuesday 5 January 2020 if capacity is not already reached.

Christmas tree recycling returns

Newsletter8 Issue 119 - Winter 2020 9

An unexpected chapter for Day Therapy Part 1: Keeping our services running

Day Therapy is offered to patients who are living with a life-limiting condition and require specialist advice and support.

Programmes typically involve contact once a week for eight weeks, with patients engaging with our expert team.

Sessions are provided on common issues like anxiety, fatigue and breathlessness, and attendees are encouraged to try exercise sessions, complementary therapy and creative activities. Time is also taken to listen and to support patients, with a focus on enabling patients to live as well as possible.

The service offers slightly different packages of support on different days, with the team conducting holistic assessments to help them work out which session suits someone best.

By discovering what is important to each individual, goals are shaped together so patients can work on achieving something that makes a real difference to their everyday life.

We spoke to Team Lead Sue Rossitter about what we have done to keep Day Therapy services running since COVID-19 changed everything.

How things used to be…Before the coronavirus pandemic, most sessions took place at the Hospice in the Evelyn Day Therapy Centre. Patients would pick and choose which activities they wished to take part in during their session and often have lunch together before or afterwards in the Bistro.

However, when the coronavirus pandemic hit in March, we had to make the difficult

Patients still benefit from an element of choice, picking which sessions they want to take part in and there are always alternatives to choose from. We manage this through the breakout-room feature on Zoom, with each room hosted by a colleague and patients then being ‘brought back into the room’ after the 45-minute session has ended.

Patients still work towards the goals that were identified together in their initial assessments and are encouraged to attend the most relevant sessions to help them achieve these.

SocialisingEvery other Wednesday we host a virtual social gathering which takes place for one and a half hours and is run by two healthcare assistants and a volunteer.

We have found that this provides an important space for patients to talk to each other about what is happening in their lives and to enjoy some time together in a supportive and fun environment.

Private conversations and consultationsOn Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons, we offer individual consultations and conversations via AccuRx (a video conferencing application approved by the NHS) or via telephone, if someone does not have access to the technology required.

This is a confidential discussion where specific issues are discussed with the patient. This may include advice regarding the management of symptoms such as pain or breathlessness or discussions around advanced care planning which might include thoughts about resuscitation or a person’s priorities for their future care.

Loaning equipment

Where a patient does not have the equipment or technology needed to take part in Day

Therapy sessions, we have loaned them iPads for the duration of the eight-week programme. Doing everything we can to ensure that the service is equally available wto all our patients has been as important as ever to us throughout the pandemic.

COVID risk assessment and pathwaysThere are some elements of Day Therapy that cannot be delivered virtually, for example complementary therapy, exercise on a Medimotion Bike or acupuncture.

As of September, a COVID risk assessment will be carried out, following the COVID pathway (which is a guide to remind clinicians how to see out-patients in a COVID-secure way), so that sessions and one-to-one appointments can take place at the Hospice. More of these sessions have now started to happen and we started seeing patients with the most complex needs, from the end of September. We hope to be able to provide more support of this type by the end of this year, to those patients who will benefit from it.

Innovation and learning… The virtual approach has been completely new territory for many of our Day Therapy team, who - by the very nature of their roles - are practical, hands-on professionals and therapists. Before coronavirus and lock-down, we were therefore unfamiliar with the online world of virtual support.

Whilst it has been our biggest challenge and greatest learning curve, embracing and understanding technology has been the real silver lining in all of this. We have had to consider different ways of working and then implement it; even our Life Celebration work has been transformed. It was a bit like being pushed off the top of a ski-slope, scary at first but now we’re speeding along! The resistance to technology that had existed in the

decision to temporarily halt face-to-face services. Driven by the wish to continue providing vital support to our patients, we rapidly evolved the service.

Initially, telephone and video calls were made by clinicians and by the new Caring Communities volunteers, and by April we were trialling a pilot scheme for Virtual Day Therapy.

How we’ve adapted…Virtual Day Therapy is now delivered via Zoom. We have a morning timetable on a Tuesday, Thursday and Friday which includes different sessions such as exercise therapy, breathlessness management, advanced care planning, relaxation, symptom management and Blether which is a chaplain-run session exploring a specific ‘big question’ selected by the group.

Typically, we see up to 12 patients on the Tuesday, Thursday and Friday sessions and around 20 at the Social Group on Wednesdays.

Sessions are now condensed into just the morning, as we quickly realised that a full day of Zoom was too much for patients.

Will you leave a gift in your Will? #IWill

Newsletter10 Issue 119 - Winter 2020 11

Contact us Dates for your diaryNovemberSun 22: Ely Festive 5K Fun Run - See page 4 or visit arhc.org.uk/festive5k

DecemberFri 4: Pinkster Winter Gin Tasting Evening. See page 5.Sun 6 - 5pm: Light up a Life film premiere. See page 3 or visit arhc.org.uk/lualWed 16 - 2pm: Christmas Raffle takes place, Arthur Rank Hospice. £1 per ticket, books of 10. Fantastic prizes to be won. See above.Mon 20 Dec - Sat 2 Jan: Virtual Christmas Balloon Race.

JanuaryMon 11: Step a Million. See page 4.Thu 7 - Sun 10: Christmas tree recycling scheme. To register your tree go to charityxmastreecollection.com Registration open now! See page 7For further information, or to share news of your fundraising events, please call 01223 675888 or visit arhc.org.uk

Follow us onRegistered Charity No. 1133354

Will you leave a gift in your Will? #IWill

Making special momentsThe Summer Super Draw raised an astounding £42,991 and on the back of this success, we are delighted to share news of our Christmas raffle. The prizes include a Glamping Experience in Devon (courtesy of Brackenhill Glamping), the chance to drive an Evoque for a weekend (generously gifted by Marshall Land Rover Cambridge), whilst Elliotts have kindly donated a Sealey’s RoadStart® Power Pack and Jelena Kryczkiewicz is providing one lucky winner the opportunity to commission their own piece of art. Tickets are just £1 each, available in books of 10. The draw will take place at Arthur Rank Hospice, Cambridge at 2pm on Wednesday 16 December. For full terms and conditions, please visit arhc.org.uk/christmas-raffle and to request tickets, please call Ellie on 01223 675888 or email ellie.harris@arhc.org.uk

Sally Milligan joined us in October for an exciting secondment (funded by John Lewis). Sally will spend six months helping to map all of the clubs, associations and groups which operate in our area, which may benefit our patients and their families. We anticipate we will already know some of these, and some of you may be part of these organisations yourself and may hear more about the project first-hand! This is an important activity as we recognise in the current situation some of these may no longer be operating and may have left significant gaps in our community; this in itself is useful for us to track for our own information and also for that of our patients and their families.

Alongside this, Sally will also be researching groups, clubs and associations that we don’t currently know of, to establish whether we could work together for the benefit of all. If you know of clubs, groups or associations which you think this could apply to, please get in touch!

We recognise we are part of a large community jigsaw and it is hoped that this project will allow us to bring all of the pieces together to discover the gaps in provision in our area along with the rewards we could reap by working more closely with some of these organisations.

If you have information to share with Sally, please contact our reception on 01223 675777 or email sally.milligan@arhc.org.uk

Golden Jubilee Scheme support secured

ADDRESS ARHC, Cherry Hinton Road, Shelford Bottom, Cambridge, CB22 3FBPlease use CB22 3AB if using a SAT NAVWEB ADDRESS arhc.org.uk EMAIL fundraising@arhc.org.ukreception@arhc.org.uk Chief Executive - Sharon Allen OBE sharon.allen@arhc.org.ukTELEPHONE NUMBERS Hospice Reception 01223 675777Fundraising Team 01223 675888Voluntary Services 01223 675871Finance Team 01223 675901Alan Hudson Day Treatment Centre 01945 669620 RETAILMill Road Shop 01223 214253Regent Street Shop 01223 462452 Burleigh Street Shop 01223 367037 Cottenham Shop 01954 716233 Great Shelford Woollards Lane Shop 01223 842241Retail Hub Sawston 01223 242684

pre-COVID world seems to have (mostly!) disappeared.

The patient’s point of view… We have found that there has been increased social interaction on the computer compared to how it used to be in the Day Therapy Lounge. Barriers that patients might have experienced such as positioning of chairs, need to use hoists or being hard of hearing have been removed. This has worked really well, as it means everyone gets their chance to speak, be heard and make choices.

A small group of patients really struggled with engaging on virtual and video platforms; some people just don’t have the technology, don’t know how to work it, or simply didn’t want to engage in that way. An eight-week telephone programme has been offered to them.

Challenges…We have all missed the face-to-face interaction: patients, colleagues and volunteers alike. There is no way of replicating the human element of putting a hand on a shoulder and squatting down next to someone to really listen to their needs. It has been so hard, not being able to offer that, and we have mourned that loss.

However, the team had just one week to immerse themselves in this new way of working, to train and upskill themselves. Having to adapt was stressful and not without its difficult moments, but we are so amazingly proud that we have rapidly and competently adapted to delivering support virtually, and with such confidence.

To read what is next for this team visit arhc.org.uk/unexpected-chapter-1dt