P-40 Guide to opening up hospice care

Background Queenscourt recognises the importance of raising awareness of hospice care and Compassionate Communities amongst the local population and dispel the myth that hospices are gloomy places where people go to die. Aims We believe passionately about normalising conversation about death and dying and have engaged with a local Girlguiding (North West England) unit to work collaboratively on producing a Queenscourt Challenge Badge. Methods Queenscourt community fundraiser initially liaised with the Guide Leader to ascertain which age groups would be involved and if any subjects were ‘off limits’. It was agreed that ALL sections should be involved from Rainbows, aged five to Rangers aged eighteen; no age group was excluded. The Queenscourt Challenge badge will incorporate all five essential elements (Girlguiding). The community fundraiser and clinical staff considered some key elements of hospice care: themes included are: therapies, nutrition, volunteering, medicine and treatments, pets as therapy, clergy, importance of the environment and gardens and Transport and fundraising, to name a few. Results An afternoon has been arranged when the Guides will visit the hospice, there will be numerous ‘stations’ set up around the hospice demonstrating the above, the Guides will have to engage with staff and undertake certain hospice related challenges appropriate to their age and topic. Conclusion Working collaboratively with a local Girlguiding group has opened up the perception of hospice care to a whole new group of young people. We hope to continue this work with more Girlguiding units across our locality promoting our work around Compassionate Communities, one of our key strategic objectives. The work has also improved professional relationships between clinical and corporate teams within the hospice, each becoming more aware of each other’s professional roles and responsibilities.