Agenda item

David Smith, Chief Executive will be in attendance to provide information on the work and support Teesside Hospice provide in respect to Palliative/ End of Life Care.

The Chair welcomed David Smith, Chief Executive of Teesside Hospice to the meeting.  Prior to the meeting, the Chief Executive had shared a briefing document, however briefly went through key aspects.

 

He advised the Panel that Teesside Hospice was established in 1982, and is a charity working in partnership with the NHS and wider system delivering specialist palliative care, end of life care, wellbeing activities, lymphoedema care and grief and trauma counselling services for adults and children across Teesside and parts of North Yorkshire. As others have developed their skill in delivering generalist care, their priority is to look after people, their families and carers who have complex or multiple needs and to provide Specialist Palliative Care and support and expertise in end of life care. In addition, they provide specialist advice and support to other professionals on palliative and end of life care, offer specialised education and training and undertake research across our areas of work.

 

Teesside Hospice employ 148 people in a variety of different roles and have over 300 volunteers in our hospice, retail and fundraising departments.

 

The services are available free of charge to the people who need them. In 2020-21, the clinical services will cost just over £3M to deliver. About 43% of this comes from the local NHS with the remainder coming primarily from fundraising activities across Teesside and local residents via retail sales in the shops.

 

Teesside Hospice and Mission statement

 

Our Vision is that we are there for everybody who needs us. We want to change the way our society and healthcare systems care for people with a life limiting illness and ensure that local people get the very best care at the end of their life.

Our Mission is to complement other services by leading the development of new ways of working and delivering hospice care that meets the needs of those at the end of their life today and those in the future, whatever their needs might be.

 

The Panel heard that there is a skilled multidisciplinary team at the hospice, which offers patients holistic care, ensuring that their physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs are met. The team includes: a Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Hospice Medical Team, Specialist Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Dietician, Social Worker, Physiotherapist, Complementary Therapist, Chaplaincy and Counselling Services.

 

The Hospice also provides a 10 bedded Inpatient Unit, which is the only specialist inpatient beds for people requiring palliative or end of life care in the locality. The Chief Executive advised that it is useful to consider the facility at Teesside Hospice as a High Dependency Unit for people with Palliative and End of Life Care needs.

With a target occupancy rate of 85% and average length of stay around 14 days, the Inpatient Unit focusses its work in the general areas:

·         End Stage Care: Some patients choose to spend their last days in the unit, being admitted during the very late stages of their illness

·         Pain and Symptom Management: for people experiencing pain and other symptoms that have not been controlled by generalist interventions.

·         Psychosocial and spiritual distress: needs that cannot be met by the generalist referring team.

 

                                                                                                                                             

The Hospice also offers a wellbeing clinic and offers supportive care for those who are at their end of life. Teesside Hospice, like other hospices offer a range of services, which may include the following: pain and symptom control; psychological and social support; rehabilitation – helping patients to stay independent and continue to live their lives as they have done before; complementary therapies, such as massage and aromatherapy; spiritual care; family care; practical and financial advice; bereavement care. The Hospice offers peer support and also fundraises to offer an outreach nurse, who directs people either into the hospice or to other services.

 

Their goal is to help our people face the world without fear or feelings of inadequacy arising from having been, or still being, unwell; to have attachments to others which have emotional meaning (to love and to feel loved); to be able to do things in the world which have a meaning and a purpose for them. In order to achieve this goal Teesside Hospice include the development of communities within their services and where appropriate, a therapeutic community meeting appropriate quality standards.

 

Given the specialist nature of our work, referral into Teesside Hospice is generally through a GP, hospital team or social worker. Self-referrals are also possible and support is also available for family members and carers affected by a life-limiting illness.

 

In terms of finances, Covid has had a massive impact and on charitable donations, especially through the shops. However in terms our specialisms the cost for the Hospice have increased and they are looking at a half a million pound deficit going forward. If the Hospice carries on in the same way, it is unfortunate but the Hospice is likely to have to close in the next 3-4 years’ time. The Chief Executive outlined that this is the extreme and in order to mitigate this the Board of Trustees instigated a transformation programme that has sought to seek savings and efficiencies in our work whilst working with partners and the wider system to increase the level of core statutory funding the hospice receives. The Hospice are encouraged by the warm words we have received and the confirmation that our specialist inpatient beds and Specialist Wellbeing and outpatient services are essential to the local system. The Chief Executive advised that the Inpatient unit is where the most resources lie, however there is a need for the specialist beds and have help shape our thinking of where we can go forward. £750,000 from Reserves will be used for the next financial year to ensure the Hospice remains running, however further work needs to looked into.

 

The Chief Executive eluded to the work undertaken by the Scrutiny Panel in 2011 on End of Life Care, which was very in-depth, however frustrating as there is still gaps and a need for people to have good, end of life care. It was agreed that the report would be circulated to the Panel and that the Democratic Services Officer would contact the CCG to ascertain the progress of the recommendations made in 2011.

 

In terms of fundraising, the Panel asked about what the Hospice had done in terms of increasing its fundraising. In response, the Chief Executive outlined that the hospice had opened a new charity shop, there has been a push towards digital fundraising, lottery and there had also been corporate fundraisers, which had resulted in £20-30k. A Panel member also enquired whether the Council had a payroll giving service and whether the Hospice could be included within this.

 

The Chair thanked the Chief Executive for his presentation and wished him and the Hospice luck in the future.

 

Agreed:

·         That the information be noted

·         That the Democratic Services Officer circulate the report on End of Life Care undertook in 2011 and contact the CCG to ascertain the progress of the recommendations made in 2011.

·         That the Democratic Services Officer contact the Council’s HR service with regard to payroll giving.