News & Review Spring/Summer 2018 01. Newsletter_Feb 18_web | Page 10

Your hospice needs your time!

We simply couldn’ t do what we do without the help of our wonderful volunteers, and we need more help so that we can help more people in 2018.
It’ s amazing what we can achieve when we work together, and it really doesn’ t require a big or regular commitment on your part – even an hour here and there would really help us.
Being able to do the things that matter is really important to our patients, so this year we’ d like to expand the services that we offer. Our plans include providing more complementary therapy appointments to patients and relatives, increasing the number of activities in the Day Hospice and having a larger bank of flexible volunteers who could help out if needed.
We carried out a survey to see what was required in order to achieve our goals for this year and found that we need over 100 new volunteers to make it happen. Could you be one of them? Volunteers play an incredibly important part in the life of our hospice, donating an amazing £ 2.3 million pounds worth of time each year to support our care teams, shops and fundraising. We thank every single one of you.
It only takes a small commitment on your part to make a really big difference. If you’ re interested in becoming a volunteer, please visit www. stgileshospice. com / volunteer or call 01543 434546 for more information. Thank you!

New specialist women’ s cancer support service

With your help, we have been able to increase the support we offer to women who are living with the effects of cancer and its treatments, both during and after illness, through the launch of a brand new service in Sutton Coldfield.
Launched in February this year, the innovative programme has been developed by St Giles Hospice and Breast Friends, thanks to a £ 70,000 donation, almost half of which was raised by the Boldmere Bullets.
The service is offered at St Giles’ Sutton Coldfield centre and offers support to women across the region, including Tamworth, Lichfield, Burton, Walsall and surrounding areas.
Self-referrals can be made by calling one of the nurses on 0300 330 1297( calls charged at a local rate). A member of the team will be available from 9.30am to 4.30pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. A referral can also be made by any healthcare professional in the area via www. stgileshospice. com / referrals
This specialist service is designed to support women who are living with cancer and its possible ongoing effects, and help them manage the physical and emotional impact that a cancer diagnosis and its treatments can have.
“ The clinic is a place where women can talk in confidence about their cancers and be supported in a relaxed environment,” explains St Giles Clinical Nurse Specialist Katherine Hill.
“ Our nurses will support women and their partners in living well with and after cancer. We’ d encourage any woman who needs support to get in touch and find out how we can help.”
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News and Review Spring / Summer 2018