Working with our members, we helped to secure hundreds of articles on hospice care in national newspapers and magazines, and were chosen for a BBC Radio 4 Christmas appeal. We also produced a short promotional film on hospice care, started work on a national hospice care awareness campaign, and carried out research on public perceptions of hospice care.
'Adding life to days' is a short promotional film we produced to give people an insight into what hospices really do and how Help the Hospices supports them. The film, which has a powerful and uplifting message, features patients, family members and volunteers who tell of how hospice care has supported them. Already, 30 of our members have used the film to raise the profile of their work in the communities they serve.
One in two people know someone who has been cared for by a hospice – a key finding of our 2009 public perceptions research, now available to our members. As well as a detailed report of research findings, we produced useful summaries of particular demographic groups and a list of key messages to help our members improve awareness of what they do.
In response to a request from our members to raise the profile of hospice care nationally, we developed a proposal for a national awareness campaign for our members. We will explore this with them in the coming year.
Working with The Times
We worked with the health editor of The Times to highlight problems with extra government funding reaching front line services. We took the opportunity to urge primary care trusts to use funds pledged by the End of Life Care Strategy to develop end of life care services.
BBC Radio 4 appeal
Our BBC Radio 4 appeal brought hospice care to the attention of almost two million listeners. Fronted by Dr Ros Taylor, Hospice of St Francis’ hospice director, the appeal aimed to dispel some of the myths about hospices. Dr Taylor spoke about hospices supporting people in a range of settings, not just on an inpatient ward, and explained that they help people to live as well as they can.
BBC charity appeals advisor Paul McCauley spoke of his delight at the appeal:
"The BBC’s Appeals Advisory Committee was very impressed with Help the Hospices, not least because it genuinely has a UK-wide remit which is important to the success of Radio 4 appeals. Charities involving hospice care tend to strike a chord with our listeners and they donate accordingly. I’m delighted that our appeal has made a difference to hospices."
Supporting our members’ media work
As well working directly with the media, we supported our members with their own media work. In particular, we briefed hospices on dealing with the issue of assisted suicide in the media, and produced a media pack to help hospices promote their services in the run up to the general election.
Our Hospice information service supported thousands of people through its enquiry service and published a range of publications and resources to facilitate the sharing of knowledge, good practice and ideas.
Handling enquiries
We handled more than 6,000 enquiries from professionals and members of the public. This included helping people to contact their local hospice for support, in the UK and overseas, and providing hospice and palliative care staff with information on a number of practice development issues. We also put hundreds of potential volunteers in touch with hospices around the UK.
Publications and resources
Hospice Information Bulletin
Circulated in 116 countries, our magazine, the Hospice Information Bulletin, helped to raise awareness of UK and international palliative care, supported the development of services, and gave palliative care providers an opportunity to promote their work, share ideas and network.
Lori Thompson, psychologist at the palliative care unit in San Sebastian, Spain, said of the Bulletin:
"As we are participating in the development of new supportive care projects for families and patients here in Spain, we found two Hospice Information Bulletin articles particularly helpful. Both will be mentioned in our project and have served to give us new ideas about possible services to develop."
E-newsletters
Our regular e-newsletters kept hospice and palliative care professionals up to date on all the latest news and developments worldwide. Hospice UK Online, our UK focused e-newsletter, is read by thousands of people every week, while our international e-newsletter, Worldwide Hospice and Palliative Care Online, is circulated in 90 countries.
Hospice and palliative care directories
Our directories of hospice and palliative care services worldwide enabled health and social care workers to make appropriate care referrals and helped members of the public to find their local hospice. Also, our UK and Ireland directory encouraged public support for hospices by showing the services that involve volunteers.
Patient information booklet
To increase our support for people facing life-limiting and terminal illness, we published ‘What is hospice care?’, a booklet that answers some of the common questions people have about hospice care. It covers where hospice care is provided, who can access it and how to get a referral. This vital resource has been used by many of our members to raise awareness of what they do in their local communities.
