Category: Staff

Patients at East Cheshire Hospice woke up to a festive surprise thanks to the Hospice’s supporters.

Specially made mugs were given to ward patients on Christmas morning to help brighten up their day.

The gifts featured the Hospice sunflower emblem as a bobble hat on a robin on one side, the other having the logo on top of a tree.

The mugs were designed by Jayne Hadfield, from Jola Designs, and printed by Rossendale Trust, which provides supported living for adults with learning and physical disabilities.

Both companies are keen supporters of the Hospice and provided their services free of charge.

Any costs were met by What Women Want, five female long-standing fundraisers for the Hospice.

The group includes Jill Harding, a health care assistant and one of the nursing staff working the overnight shift at Christmas.

Ray Naden shows off the festive mugs given to patients.

Jill said: “It’s a lovely shift to work and we try to make the occasion as nice and cheery as we can for our patients. We had seven inpatients this year.

“Patients could have up to three family members joining them for Christmas dinner, which was served on tables in the ward and side rooms, along with wine and Prosecco.

“We’d like to thank our supporters for the mugs. We also had trees round the Hospice, with presents for visitors and children which had kindly been donated.”

Among the team on duty was health care assistant Ray Naden, who was worked at the Hospice for 17 years.

East Cheshire Hospice has won an award for its pioneering work supporting patients from the LGTBQ+ community.

Just over a year ago the charity linked up with two other hospices – St Luke’s in Winsford and Hospice of The Good Shepherd in Backford – to ensure end-of-life care is fully inclusive.

They appointed Ellen Coleman as LGBTQ+  development facilitator to offer support and training for staff to improve their approach and make them more accessible.

Her work has been so successful that the 12-month scheme has been extended.

The hospices were awarded a Navajo Charter mark in recognition of organisational changes and training which have been implemented.

Sarah Dale, Director of Quality and Innovation at East Cheshire Hospice, said: “We’re delighted to receive the award which we didn’t think we’d achieve in the first year Ellen has been with us. We thought it might take a lot longer.

East Cheshire Hospice Chief Executive Karyn Johnston (second left), Sarah Dale (fourth left) and Ellen Coleman (fifth left) receive the Navajo award with representatives of the two other hospices.

“As a hospice we felt we were doing all we could to be inclusive. There’s never a service we wouldn’t accept anyone into and they’re personalised to fit whatever community, background, race or nationality patients are from.

“What we’ve learned from Ellen is that we need to make it very clear, even from a distance, that our services are making positive changes and that we welcome everyone.

“For different reasons, not everyone feels comfortable accessing our services and so we need to reassure them before they’ve even walked through our doors.

“We’ve still got things we need to work towards to make sure we’re a fully inclusive organisation. There’s definitely more we can change.

“We have more education and training to do for our volunteers and staff.  We also need more communication with the wider community to let them know what we’re doing to improve accessibility for the LGBTQ+ community.

“Overall, though, we’re really pleased with what we’ve managed to do in such a short space of time and we look forward to linking in with those communities in the future.”

The Hospice has trained five champions to raise the level of staff knowledge around how best to support LGBTQ+ patients.

A grant from Cheshire Freemans and Hospice UK funded Ellen’s post initially. Sarah said: “We’re just beginning to make these changes across all three hospices in Cheshire, so as a collective we’ve funded Ellen’s post for a further year to continue the great work she’s doing.”

A typical daily menu for patients at East Cheshire Hospice is:

Breakfast – Cereals, toast, eggs, mushrooms, fresh fruit, yoghurt, omelette, or a full English. 

Lunch – Soup of the day, or pate with toast; followed by Chinese pork stir fry with egg fried rice, or cheddar and red onion tart.

Tea – Homemade beef burger on a brioche bun with caramelised onions, followed by chocolate pudding and custard, or jelly and ice cream.

All dietary requirements are catered for and the choice does not end there.

An ‘always available’ menu offers toasties, jacket potatoes, sandwiches, home baked cakes and desserts, hot and cold drinks, milk shakes and smoothies.

The menu changes daily on a three-week cycle. It is seasonal, so alters after three months.

Chef manager Mike Hyland and his caterers ask patients and families for special requests.

Chef manager Mike Hyland (centre) with catering colleagues Brian Woodward and Jade Slater.

Portion sizes are also important to suit individual diet plans. The emphasis is always on sustainability. Even vegetable oil is recycled, often to make biodiesel.

General services manager Michelle Walker-Brown said: “There is very little wastage. We offer a daily specials snack menu to our staff using some of the main ingredients from our homemade daily dishes.”

Free range eggs are used and fish is marine certified. Organic products are used where possible and Bollington butcher JJJ Heathcote provide fresh meat farmed safely.

The Hospice buys Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance products such as bananas, tea, coffee, herbs and spices.

East Cheshire Hospice has launched a major campaign this year to become more sustainable.

Changes have been brought in across the charity’s operations as part of concerted eco-friendly initiatives.

Reducing food waste and energy use are among actions taken at its Millbank Drive site. Other measures to reduce the Hospice’s carbon footprint include:

* Ensuring most suppliers and contractors are local to the Hospice.

* Installing solar panels.

* Using reusable crockery, cutlery and drinking cups where possible. A new coffee bar in reception uses biodegradable cups.

* Growing herbs and vegetables in the Hospice grounds.

Catering and housekeeping activities have been a key focus in the environmental push.

The Hospice has managed to cut the amount of food deliveries, while at the same time increasing the choice of menus available for patients.

Cleaning products for sanitisers and floors are now more eco-friendly, while the Hospice has changed recycling contractors to ensure general waste is filtered.

More LED lighting has been installed, with greater awareness of the need to switch off computers and lights when not in use. The energy-saving measures also apply at the Hospice’s four shops.

Likewise, grills and ovens in the kitchen are used more economically, while a scrap metal dealer visits regularly to collect unwanted recyclable goods.

The Hospice even recycles empty ink cartridges, a revenue-generating scheme which is available for the wider community as well as staff.

General services manager Michelle Walker-Brown (left) and Jean Chaddock, head of housekeeping, with environmentally-friendly cleaning products at East Cheshire Hospice.

General services manager Michelle Walker-Brown said: “We try to use our food ingredients in a diverse way, across starters, main courses and desserts to save costs. We also use seasonal produce which lasts longer.

“We’ve trained staff on how to throw away less food safely and removed less popular or time-consuming dishes from our menus.

“We’ve tried to reduce having lots of different stock delivered. We don’t have a lot of storage space, so try to avoid having all fridges and freezers running where possible to save energy.”

The charity made an appeal to the public earlier this year to help fund solar panels.

The Hospice @Home team have introduced a hybrid car, with EV chargers also at the disposal of staff and visitors.

Michelle said: “Our aim is to be a sustainable healthcare system that respects and protects the environment, while continuing to improve the quality of life and care of our patients.”

Volunteering at East Cheshire Hospice gave Amy Williams an idea about a change of career.

The mother-of-three only joined the charity in March, helping day care patients every Tuesday in the Sunflower Centre.

Weeks later she saw that the Hospice were advertising for an in-memory fundraising assistant and decided to give up her teaching job.

Amy Williams, the new in-memory fundraising assistant at East Cheshire Hospice.

Amy, who taught English part-time at All Hallows Catholic College in Macclesfield, has just started her full-time role in the Hospice’s fundraising team.

Amy, from Bollington, said: “I fell in love with the Hospice and when the job came up here it felt like a really good opportunity to develop the relationships I’d built up in the Sunflower Centre.

“I taught for nearly 20 years and loved the job, but was ready for something different. Coming to the Sunflower Centre helped me understand I’ve got transferable skills and can adapt and change.

“I’m still working with people, helping support those who use the Hospice and making a difference for them. For me, helping people is a massive part of my career.”

Amy will continue holding her weekly Sunflower sessions, running activities such as baking, crafts, painting and sewing.

That will help develop relationships with patients and families, a fundamental aspect of her newly-created fundraising role.

Amy, who has sons Gethin (12), Evan (9) and a daughter Megan (7), will also attend meetings with ward colleagues, bringing her closer to inpatients and their relatives.

She said: “Hopefully, I’ll become a face families will recognise and know. If they value the experience and service they’ve had, they may want to give something back and do something in someone’s honour.

“For many, fundraising in memory of a loved one and celebrating that life is part of the grieving process. For some that may come two years later, or two months later.

“When that time comes people may want to get involved. It could be through a funeral donation, a fundraising challenge, holding an event, creating a tribute page, joining our lottery, or volunteering their time.

“The idea is that I meet those families on their journey, so we can tailor their relationship with us. Every family will be different and they might not know quite what to do, or how to approach it. I can give them that guidance.”

* To contact Amy email amy.williams@echospice.org.uk. To set up a Sunflower Tribute visit

www.eastcheshirehospice.org.uk/support/online-tributes