In recent years awareness surrounding mental health issues and their impact on overall health has increased. Our services in particular have seen a marked increase in the number of patients with both diagnosed and undiagnosed mental illnesses.

For housebound patients, the hospice ambulance service provides a vital link to the outside world – allowing them the dignity to carry out day to day activities most of us take for granted. We need your support to buy a new ambulance to ensure we continue providing this vital service to patients who need it.

Loss is tough for anyone but it can be especially hard for children who often find it difficult to accept or even understand that a parent or loved one has died. As part of Children’s Mental Health Week we spoke to Robert Moroney, Bereavement Services Co-ordinator at St John’s Hospice, about helping children cope with grief.

In 2020 we’re looking for individuals to represent the Hospice in some of the best-known races on foot and bike, on treks around the world and we’ll even be asking a few daredevils to jump out of aeroplanes for us! Check out the events you can take part in throughout this year.

Nadya volunteers at the St John’s Hospice Inpatient Unit, while others devote their time to the smooth-running of the day centre, the reception desk, bereavement services, fundraising admin or our charity shops. We spoke to Nadya about why volunteering is important to her, and why she chose St John’s Hospice.‍

Thanks to generous donations from the Mirabel Kelly Fund, we have been able to invite talented musicians from the Royal Academy of Music to visit our hospice and bring some aural joy to our patients.

In the last year we have seen a 30% increase in patients at our Inpatient Unit with dementia alongside other complex neurological conditions. This story highlights how we are implementing special measures at our Inpatient Unit to support dementia patients and ensure that their individual needs are best met.

All of our patients attending the Day Centre have a life-limiting illness and struggle on a daily basis with their symptoms. It can be very challenging to manage alone while services in the community can be extremely difficult to access. We spoke to one of our patients, Eddie, about what the hospice means to him.

Trish McKee, Deputy Sister in the Inpatient Unit, gives us a glimpse of the daily demands on the hospice’s caring and compassionate ward.