Open House - Winter 2024
And just like that, the year is nearly over. And what a year it’s been. 2024 will go down in our history as a turning point for Garden House, the year we changed the future of hospice care.
On 2nd January we launched our new Frailty Service after months of careful research and planning. The service has been a huge success, not only supporting hundreds of people but enhancing lives. In this edition of Open House, you will hear the powerful stories of Roger and Polly, two people who had lost hope and had nowhere to turn until they met our wonderful team who were recognised nationally at the Palliative and End of Life Care Awards earlier this year. Winning the Team Award really was the cherry on top.
Whilst there’s been challenges at times of transformation, the positive impact we have made in changing the way we care has been worth every second. Our colleagues within the NHS have felt the positive effects of our innovation, alleviating pressure within our local hospitals and A&E departments. They have asked us to present to NHS colleagues across the health system as a new approach to hospice care which could be rolled out nationwide.
At the time of writing this, our message is a positive one. Sadly, the message for other hospices is very different. The recent headlines around the hospice funding crisis in the press are horrifying but no surprise. Hospices have been underfunded for decades and without generous donations from supporters, like you, they wouldn’t be open today. The sad reality is that many of our hospice peers are having difficult conversations, making cuts to services and staffing in response to the crisis. But we at Garden House Hospice Care refuse to make cuts to services. Refuse to make cuts to staffing. We have supported hundreds of people this year so far, over delivering on what we set out to achieve back in January. But we know there are so many people who need our care. We are working against a growing demand and it is our responsibility to meet that need.
We live in an aging population who will live longer with more conditions. One day waiting for our care is a day too many. So, we are innovating again. Planning our next move to meet the needs of the people of North Hertfordshire and beyond as we explore our next 10-year strategy.
In Open House, you can read about our Brighter Christmas campaign. We know that 15,589 people in North Hertfordshire and Stevenage will experience loneliness this Christmas and we plan to tackle that through the expansion of our Compassionate Neighbours service and our Wellbeing Hubs. This year we will be hosting a special Christmas day for those who would otherwise be facing the day alone in hopes of bringing smiles back onto faces this festive period.
As the year comes to a close, we extend our heartfelt thanks to our supporters. Your continued unwavering support for the Hospice is having a direct impact on thousands of lives. That is the greatest gift we could have ever wished for this Christmas.
