News

Wanted: volunteers to aid relaxation

13 September 2021 by Martin O'Neill

Volunteers with a difference are being sought by Oakhaven Hospice – their role is to aid relaxation through hand- and foot-massage.

The Hospice, in Lower Pennington Lane, Lymington, provides complementary therapies for patients, carers and the bereaved.

These wellbeing services are an important part of Oakhaven’s approach to meeting all the needs of those who have been impacted by life-limiting illness as well as their carers and people who have experienced bereavement.

The Hospice employs two trained staff and recruits volunteers to offer a range of complementary therapies including reflexology, aromatherapy, massage and Reiki. The Hospice is now looking to increase its team of volunteers.

Sally Woods, Oakhaven’s Complementary Therapy Co-ordinator, said: “We are keen to add to our team of wellbeing relaxation volunteers and complementary therapy volunteers.

“The relaxation volunteer role is unique – we can provide training and support in hand- and foot-massage and Reiki. People learn a new skill while helping our patients and making every moment matter. The role suits those looking to make a practical difference to people’s lives or thinking about a career in complementary therapy.”

Julie, a current volunteer, said: “Oakhaven was known to me as I had friends who had lost relatives who received exceptional care at the Hospice. When I wanted to volunteer some of my time it was an obvious choice. I have a background in beauty therapy, so the complementary therapy department seemed like a natural choice.

“I absolutely love my work at Oakhaven. I enjoy every aspect from interaction with patients to the relationships formed with other staff members, all of whom are friendly and supportive. Our patients get so much pleasure from the time we spend with them and in return it’s hugely rewarding for me.”

Sally added: “We are looking for qualified complementary therapy practitioners to join us as volunteers, too. This role is suitable for any professional wishing to enhance their portfolio or newly qualified people seeking to enhance their skills.”

For those intrigued to know more, there is a special Open Day in the Coates Centre at Oakhaven Hospice on Wednesday 29^th September 2021 from 9.30am to 1.30pm. The event will include the chance to talk to expert staff about volunteering and the important role of complementary therapy in Oakhaven’s work and free goodie bags.

Nurses needed to expand service

9 September 2021 by Martin O'Neill

Oakhaven Hospice is launching an urgent recruitment campaign for more nurses to expand its service.

The priority is community nurses and night nurses but the Hospice, in Lower Pennington Lane, Lymington, is also looking for extra nurses who can help cover both day- and night-shifts as well as potentially work both within community and in-patient teams.

The campaign will include social media appeals and billboards in Hampshire and Dorset as well as traditional recruitment advertising.

Posters and messages used in the campaign are inspired by the experiences of current nurses at the Hospice and how they describe working there.

Lucy Smith, Director of Patient Services, said: “More people in our New Forest catchment area need our help and we are recruiting additional nursing staff to make sure we can be there for patients, their families and their carers when they need us most.

“We have now permanently increased our number of beds from eight to ten. This latest recruitment drive will enable us to offer up to four more beds as we did during lockdown to support the NHS, bringing the total to 14.”

Lucy added: “For the first time, we are also introducing the concept of ‘virtual beds’. This means that the extra capacity we are creating includes additional rooms within the Hospice, but it can also be care that we provide in people’s own homes or elsewhere.

“The over-riding aim is to provide the best quality of care for patients in the best place for them while also reducing pressure on hospital beds.”

Oakhaven Hospice, which serves most of the New Forest including Totton and the Waterside, employs over 20 nurses along with doctors and other specialist staff. The Hospice also supports patients and their families in their own homes and provides a range of wellbeing and complementary therapy support.

Oakhaven’s popular Family Fun Day returns

6 September 2021 by Martin O'Neill

Join Oakhaven for an afternoon of family fun on Saturday 11th September (12noon-4pm) and help to raise money for your local hospice.

Kindly sponsoring the event again this year is John D Woods.

The event sees the return of favourite stalls including the grand raffle with many fantastic prizes to be won, delicious homemade cakes, a great selection of bric-a-brac, hog roast and BBQ provided by The Hog & Lamb Spitroast Company, plus ice creams provided by Brock Ice, bottle tombola, toys, teddies and much more. New activities include the barrow of booze.

“We are excited to welcome back the local community to the hospice,” says Alicia Poulson, Events Fundraiser. “We didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see our supporters at the hospice this year and we are all looking forward to the event. We hope you will be able to join us for a fun-filled day in the gardens and grounds of Oakhaven.”

All funds raised at the Family Fun Day go to support Oakhaven Hospice’s important and free-of-charge services for patients and their loved ones, both in the hospice and in homes throughout the New Forest, Totton and Waterside communities. The pandemic has hit the hospice hard, with income drastically reduced following the cancellation of events and the closure of retail shops during lockdown.

For enquiries about the event, please contact Alicia Poulson on alicia.poulson@oakhavenhospice.co.uk

Hospice and solicitors join forces for Write a Will Week

19 August 2021 by Martin O'Neill

This year Oakhaven Hospice has teamed up with local solicitors for Write a Will Week.

Legacies are vital in securing the future of Oakhaven Hospice. If you are thinking of writing your Will for the first time or updating it to include a charitable gift, why not get in touch with Heppenstalls Solicitors, CGM Solicitors or Footner & Ewing Solicitors?

Throughout Write a Will Week, which runs from Monday 20^th September to Friday 24^th September, well-known local solicitors Heppenstalls, CGM and Footner & Ewing will offer advice and assist you in making your Will. You won’t be charged a fee for their work, but they will request that a donation is made by you to the Hospice.

Gifts in Wills allow Oakhaven to care for 1 in 4 patients who are facing end of life and bereavement, both within the Hospice and in homes in its New Forest, Waterside and Totton communities.

Penny Marriage, Trusts & Legacies Fundraiser for Oakhaven, said: ‘We are incredibly grateful to Heppenstalls, CGM and Footner & Ewing for their support.

‘Initiatives like this are so important to the work we do and will make a real difference to families in the future who require the support of the Hospice. Making a commitment now will help create a lasting difference to others in the years to come and allow Oakhaven to make every moment matter for those across our community when they need us most.’

For further details please visit www.oakhavenhospice.co.uk

or contact the Oakhaven team on 01590 677773 or legacy@oakhavenhospice.co.uk

Our partnering solicitors are:

Heppenstalls, Nicola Davies 01590 689500 www.heppenstalls.co.uk

CGM Solicitors, Lindsay Taylor 023 8084 2765 & Vanessa Fielding 023 8087 1144

www.c-g-m.co.uk

Footner & Ewing, Rebecca Hiorns 023 8086 3493 www.footner-ewing.co.uk

Special open days to tackle nurse shortage

26 July 2021 by Martin O'Neill

Oakhaven Hospice is holding three special recruitment open days to help tackle a nurse shortage.

The Hospice, in Lower Pennington Lane, Lymington, urgently needs extra day and night nurses to staff the In-Patient Unit at the heart of its service. A number of staff have retired recently or moved areas.

The informal drop-in style open days, including a tour of the Hospice, will be held on Thursday 5 August 1.00pm – 4.30pm (especially aimed at Registered General Nurses and nursing associates), Tuesday 10th August 1.00pm – 4.30pm and Monday 6 September 10.30am – 2.30pm in the Coates Centre at the Hospice.

Lucy Smith, Director of Patient Services, said: ‘The work of a hospice can be a mystery, even to other healthcare professionals. Open days give us the opportunity to welcome interested nurses and often to surprise.

‘Many who work in the NHS are keen to spend more time with patients and that is exactly what we do. NHS pensions can be transferred. We can show just how rewarding it is to work in palliative care. And we offer beautiful surroundings.

Lucy added: ‘The pandemic has put huge pressures on all aspects of healthcare and hospices are no exception. At Oakhaven we expanded our services during lockdown to support the NHS but now we need to fill the gaps in our staffing rota to ensure that we can continue to provide the end-of-life care that our patients and their families deserve.’

Jenny Butler, Ward Manager at the Hospice, said: ‘Open days are a fantastic way for nurses to find out about us and what we do. It’s actually how I joined 17 years ago – Oakhaven did a recruitment day.

‘Many of our nurses stay with us for a long time, so this is a rare opportunity to join a special team providing care that is hugely valued by patients and relatives.’

Oakhaven opens four additional bedrooms to help the NHS during the current Covid crisis

27 January 2021 by Melanie Stone

The recent rising levels of infection across our area have resulted in the need for additional beds in all our hospitals. To assist with this demand, Oakhaven in partnership with West Hants CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) will be opening four additional bedrooms to patients who are Covid negative and medically fit for discharge from acute hospitals, but who still require additional support.

Andrew Ryde, Chief Executive said ‘the last 12 months has been incredibly difficult and the fight goes on. There is light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccination programme being rolled out but there are a few more months until the pressure is reduced. It is essential that we support our community and our NHS colleagues during this time and by opening these beds we are helping to relieve some of the pressure currently faced by Hospitals.’

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic Oakhaven Hospice has worked hard to ensure that those within our community facing the end of life continue to receive our specialist support. Our 8 bedded unit has remained open, with Doctors, nurses and health care assistants adapting to the challenges of Covid and worked to find new ways of delivering care. Over the winter period capacity had already been increased to 10 beds but with this latest agreement we will now be providing 14 beds.

With restrictions on travel and limits placed on visiting times, many under our care have chosen to receive support at home surrounded by their families. Our community teams are working tirelessly to ensure that they are cared for, pain free and comfortable throughout their remaining days. Their expertise brings the specialist hospice care into people’s homes creating over 300 hospice beds across our community at any one time.

In order to manage the additional rooms at the Hospice, there will be an increased need for staff within the in-patient unit. Donna Wilkins, Director of People Services said ‘the level of support we have received has been phenomenal from our current staff, our wonderful volunteers, our ex colleagues as well as from qualified nurses who have picked up our plea on social media. So many people have expressed their desire to help, either with extra hours, volunteering, returning to work, or taking on additional duties to help the Hospice throughout this time. It is only with this support that we have been able to increase our bedded care.”

The hospice has faced a very challenging time during the pandemic with many of its income streams severely cut back in particular the closing of its shops during the lockdowns. Every month the hospice shops are closed is a loss of approximately £100,000 of income. In addition to this our inability to hold events and other fundraising initiatives has significantly cut back its income. The hospice is extremely grateful for the support the community shows in helping it provide its services.”