UK Enterprise Awards 2021

126 | UK Enterprise Awards 2021 Apr21293 Best Hospice Care Service - Cornwall Founded in 1980, Cornwall Hospice Care is a healthcare charity providing 24/7 admissions to patients with terminal illnesses. Following its well-deserved success in the UK Enterprise Awards 2021, we caught up with Tamsin Thomas to find out more. At Cornwall Hospice Care anyone living with a terminal illness can access the care and support they may need at a time, and in a place that is right for them and their families. To start, Tamsin Thomas, Head of PR and Communications at the hospice, tells us about the charity and offers more insight into some of its values. “Providing its care free of charge, the charity has 20 palliative care beds: 10 at Mount Edgcumbe Hospice in St Austell (currently celebrating its 40th anniversary) and 10 at St Julia’s Hospice in Hayle. “The charity’s mission is to aspire to deliver the highest possible quality care and support to our patients and their families. To achieve this, we strive to develop and secure the necessary resources now and in the future. While providing the highest quality of care, we value everyone, listen to patients and professionals, deliver timely and transparent communication, and collaborate by working in partnerships. “Presently, a range of community services is available online via the website and a virtual cafe has been set up on Facebook. Recently, the Community Services team worked with Cornwall Connect to host a three-day online seminar. This was the second one they had organised with a third planned for during Dying Matters Week in May”. Operating in the healthcare arena can often prove to be a very challenging experience given the competition, however as Tamsin goes on to explain, the hospice’s commitment to remaining at the forefront of the industry and its availability has enabled the organisation to stand out from the crowd. “With end of life care always evolving, we strive to stay ahead of the curve and offer the services our patients expect and demand. In addition to offering our services free of charge, the charity runs a 24-hour advice line for other healthcare professionals and provides lymphoedema treatments for outpatients”. Regarding its internal culture, teamwork plays a critical role in the charity’s success, as Tamsin points out. “Here at Cornwall Hospice Care, we are one team, and everyone is involved in process of providing care. Whether they’re a nurse on the front line giving hands-on care, a shop manager helping to raise funds or a volunteer whose gift of time helps to reduce costs so money can be spent on helping our patients and their families, everybody has a purpose. By the very nature of our work, our brand calls for purposeful passion, credibility, and a warmth for end of life care”. Providing end of life care for terminally ill patients during the pandemic has been difficult, but as Tamsin elaborates further, by focusing on safety and offering continued support throughout, the charity has been able to overcome the challenges faced. “Introducing a range of new working practices has allowed us to maintain safety. Liaising with our NHS colleagues and providing them with vital support allowed them to free up beds in preparation for an influx of COVID-19 patients. With both hospices running at full capacity to provide beds for palliative patients, their continued commitment is to be admired”. Finally, Tamsin discusses the main benefits of the organisation’s location before offering us her thoughts on its future prospects. “As a leader in our field, we are able to define our audience thanks to the geography of the area we cover. It’s of immense value to be part of the Cornish community and to be a known and trusted local charity. “Throughout the pandemic we have learnt a great deal, not least that we can be agile and adapt to a crisis. Having introduced new ways of working and embraced digital platforms, we will continue to develop this moving forward. The challenge will be to maintain our profile in a small county where many charities compete for support from the public, and to grow our income generation opportunities to meet the costs of our care. Beyond that we hope to find a suitable moment to celebrate our 40th anniversary having put our plans on hold when COVID-19 arrived”. Company: Cornwall Hospice Care Contact: Tamsin Thomas Email: [email protected] Web: www.cornwallhospicecare.co.uk Address: C/O Mount Edgcumbe Hospice, Porthpean Road, St Austell, Cornwall, PL26 6AB Phone: 01726 839156