Latest News September 2022 England’s Chief Nursing Officer meets with Hillingdon charities and volunteers On Tuesday 30 August 2022, Chief Nursing Officer for England, Dame Ruth May, visited H4All at Key House in Yiewsley to learn about the ways in which local charities are coming together to support those in need across Hillingdon. Read the full story. The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II We are saddened to hear about the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Our aim is that everybody should be able to die in a place of their choosing, be that at home or in a hospice. We are comforted to hear that The Queen died peacefully at home, surrounded by her family. May 2022 Between the 2 and 6 May 2022 on Dying Matters Awareness Week, the Michael Sobell Hospice and Harlington Hospice have been starting conversations about death to support people in facing the challenging realities of dying and grief. At the hospices’ sites in both Northwood and Harlington, displays were set up inviting people using the hospice services and staff to fill out cards asking, “What is your favourite book or film about death, dying or grief?” and “What stops you talking about death, dying and your grief?”. Thought-provoking responses were given to questions at the hospices Additionally, all staff at the hospices including nurses, doctors, therapists and fundraisers were invited to attend a lunchtime workshop, “Palliative Care Bites: Sitting with the Dying”. In this inspiring and moving session, Jo Fernandes, Nurse Consultant at the Michael Sobell Hospice and Harlington Hospice, spoke about the significance of bedside vigils when a loved one is dying, the role rituals around dying can play in all our lives and shared poignant poetry and art about being with someone in those final moments of life. The Michael Sobell Hospice displayed their questions and answers in the café area of the in-patient unit Reflecting on the week, Christine West, Therapy and Day Services Lead at Harlington Hospice, said, “So many of us still feel a sense of fear and mystery when it comes to death, dying and grief. We support this week as it’s an opportunity to get how we feel about death out in the open and support each other in facing these realities, which affect us all, in a safe environment.” Joan Ahern, Complementary Therapy Lead at the Michael Sobell Hospice added, “For those of us working in end-of-life and palliative care, thinking about death and dying is part of daily life. Dying Matters Awareness Week gets that conversation started outside of the hospice environment. I believe this is essential so we can all plan for an end-of-life journey that is meaningful to each of us and our loved ones.” The two hospices hope that by creating safe spaces in which to explore feelings around these topics, people can prepare more effectively for death, so that they and their loved ones can be in the best place possible at the end of their life; a sentiment echoed in this year’s Dying Matters Awareness Week theme, #InAGoodPlace. For more information about Dying Matters Awareness Week, visit the Hospice UK website. The free wellbeing services provided by the Michael Sobell Hospice and Harlington Hospice are run through a partnership between the two charities. March 2022 SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES OF END-OF-LIFE CARE Working together with other end-of-life care services, we are holding a public event in Hillingdon to hear residents’ experiences of the end-of-life care their family, friends and loved ones have received. The event will take place at: 1:30pm Friday 8 April 2022 Hillingdon Civic Centre, Uxbridge, UB8 1UW We are particularly interested in hearing from the people in our community about any gaps in the end-of-life services offered, ways in which we can improve the care available and, where you feel we have got things right. Harlington Hospice is part of the Hillingdon Health and Care Partners (HHCP); your thoughts and experiences will be invaluable in helping us to shape the provision of end-of-life care for people living in Hillingdon and across the eight Boroughs in North West London. For more information, or if you cannot attend but would like to submit your experiences and thoughts, please email [email protected] or visit the North West London Integrated Care System website. April 2021 REOPENING OF LOCAL CHARITY SHOPS Age UK Hillingdon, Harrow and Brent, Harlington Hospice and Michael Sobell Hospice charity shops are delighted to be reopening their doors on Monday 12th April with the charities joining together to manage their 11 retail shops through a three-way partnership, believed to be the first of its kind in the UK. “During the UK lockdowns our charities have been very busy behind-the scenes, working together to reduce costs, so that more profits can go to the essential services we provide for our local communities,” explained Emma Harvey, Charity Retail Area Manager. “We are delighted to be reopening our charity shops on Monday 12th April. When you come into our shops you will find a great selection of new items as we have been able to re-stock using good quality donated items we have been storing in our warehouses. We will also need more stock so please bring in any donations you have been saving up during lockdown. “Customers can be assured that all our shops have been thoroughly cleaned and that we fully comply with all Covid-19 regulations to keep staff, volunteers and customers safe,” added Emma. Charity shops are located in Ruislip (2), Northwood, Eastcote (2), Slough, Harlington, Kingshill, Ruislip Manor, Ickenham, and West Drayton. The charities will also be launching an exciting new online business on Monday 12th April to make sure they obtain the best possible price for supporters’ donations. October 2020 Congratulations Huge congratulations to H4All’s High Intensity User (HIU) Team, for their Social Prescribing Programme of the Year award at the 2020 UK Annual Social Prescribing Link Worker Awards on 8 October. The award recognises a Social Prescribing programme that has made an outstanding positive impact and demonstrates an all-round excellence in social prescribing practice. The High Intensity User (HIU) Service works exclusively with the top 50 people who overuse Hillingdon Hospital A&E. Last year this small cohort alone were responsible for £7million of cost to the local A&E with the highest user of services calling for an ambulance almost 700 times in the past year. Headline achievements made by the small team include: A&E activity reduced from 947 to 408 visits. The reduction of 539 attendances represents a £46,348 saving Non-elective (NEL) admissions reduced from 216 to 79 This reduction of 137 admissions represents a £207,047 saving These showcase how proactive care and support can create excellent results for people they support and contribute to the wider health and social care improvement. More information can be found here comms.pdf