The late Duke of Edinburgh HRH Prince Philip visiting Queenie Miller when she was on the ward in 1985
Saint Francis Hospice’s mission – to provide local people with excellent palliative and end-of-life care – has not changed since it opened its doors on 23 July 1984.
As the hospice celebrates 40 years of caring for its community, we look at how far the hospice has come in the past four decades.
“Saint Francis Hospice has been on an incredible journey over the past 40 years and achieved so much,” said Grazina Berry, CEO at Saint Francis Hospice.
“Thanks to the determination and dedication of local people and everyone who has played a part in our history, thousands of people have received the best holistic care and support, before, during and after death.
“We want to continue to support people in every part of our community to live and die well, and to empower them to choose when and where they are cared for.”
In the first year of opening, 208 people were cared for on the ward. Since then, we have developed and expanded our services to provide even more expert care to people with incurable illnesses, both at the hospice and in the community. We are there to care for their families too.
Here are some key figures from the past 12 months of 2023/2024 to illustrate the impact of our care on people from our catchment areas of Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge, Brentwood and parts of West Essex.
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We cared for a total of 2,000 people across our wide-ranging services.
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359 people were admitted to the ward. 37% of people had a non-cancer primary diagnosis. Many were admitted for pain management control, and 29% were discharged home.
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1,238 people were cared for by our specialist team of community nurses in their home or care home, to help them manage their pain and symptoms. They also made a total of 14,777 face-to-face and telephone consultations.
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Hospice at Home made 4,897 home visits to 639 people.
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Physiotherapists provided 2,445 sessions to support people with assessment of movement and function and advise for ways to improve and remain safe with appropriate aids.
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Complementary therapists provided 1,142 sessions of aromatherapy, reflexology, mindfulness, massage, reiki and distance reiki.
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Occupational therapists provided 1,175 sessions, supporting people with physical, sensory and cognitive issues to regain independence. This includes assessment and supply of equipment needed to support people at home.
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618 adults and 87 children received bereavement counselling from our Child and Family Therapists.
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Our Pastoral care team supported 614 people.
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OrangeLine, our confidential telephone helpline supported 614 people, making and receiving 2,626 telephone calls and 831 face to face activities. The service is available to anyone in the community who requires emotional support, or people feeling lonely and isolated.
“The need for hospice care is growing. As a sector, we are projecting that by 2048 25% more people will need end of life care,” said Grazina.
“As we look to the future, we are developing our ward to ensure our care environment gives people and their loved ones even more comfort and dignity, and we want to do even more across our communities, where people’s care needs are changing rapidly.”
Volunteers have always been at the heart of the hospice. We currently have 655 volunteers who help in every area of the organisation, from its shops, the ward, and fundraising to its gardens, care teams, and offices.
Our dedicated volunteers save the hospice at least £1m every year in salaries as they give the precious gift of their time, skills and experience to help people and their families at the most difficult time in their lives.
Fundraising remains a significant challenge. As a charity, we receive a third of our funding from the NHS and need to raise the rest, some £8.5m through donations, fundraising events and activities alongside the sale of donated goods, to cover our running costs.
Currently, one in five people are cared for thanks to people leaving a gift in their will.
“Saint Francis Hospice wouldn’t be here without our incredible supporters,” said Grazina.
“On behalf of everyone here at Saint Francis Hospice, thank you to everyone who has played a part in our 40-year history and who continue to support us so we can be here for the next 40 years – you are all amazing.”