Category Archives: Notices

WHAT’S ON WEEKLY @ DERIAN HOUSE (February 7^th – February 13^th)

MONDAY 7^th                 

• Sensory Story Time with Caroline (Wellbeing & Play Worker) will take place in the Seaside Room from 1:30 – 3:00pm for Derian families.

• David (CEO), Luke (Head of Facilities & Infrastructure) and Andrew (Head of Income & Online Sales) are on a retail road-trip, checking out possible new shop sites and visiting our new plots at Accrington and Bury.

TUESDAY 8^th

• Individual sessions of Music Therapy with Martha will be taking place in The Snug from 3:00 – 5:00pm this afternoon.

• Derian Play Group will take place in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 12:00pm for our 0-5 year olds and their families.

• The SMT and Health & Safety sub-committee will host their monthly meetings this morning.

WEDNESDAY 9^th

• Join our music teacher Rachel Toner in from 11am for a sing-a-long in The Snug.

• David is virtually attending the Together for Short Lives Advisory Council.

• Referral Panel will take place in the Conference Room this morning. Please speak to Michelle Blackett (Care Team Leader) for more details or if you’d like to attend.

THURSDAY 10^th

• Everyone’s favourite Pets as Therapy dog, Shuna, will be arriving at Derian with her human Linda for their weekly visit.

• Claire (Wellbeing & Play Worker) will be hosting her weekly session of Music & Movement in the Lodge Lounge this morning.

• All Care staff are welcome to attend the drop-in session hosted by Sue (ACP) and Dawn Andrews (Family and Young People Services Manager) from 1:30 – 2:30pm either in the House Lounge or Flat 5 to discuss and clinical/professional issues you may have.

FRIDAY 11^th

• Members of our Fundraising & Comms teams will be out this morning for the launch of this year’s £50 Business Challenge, starting with a networking breakfast at Charnock Farm. We’re giving businesses £50, and they’ll have to rack their brains to turn it into something more. In 2019, the campaign raised over £50,000 so we’re looking forward to getting businesses on board over a bacon barm!

• Friday Night Club for our Lodgers will take place in the Lodge Lounge between 6:30 – 9:30pm.

• Individual sessions of Music Therapy with Martha will be taking place in The Snug from 2:00 – 5:00pm this afternoon.

SATURDAY 12^th

• Our monthly drop-in bereavement group for Derian families will be held in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 12:00pm.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to in the next 7 days, please send an email to cameron.murray@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday the week before.

Have a great week everyone!

The issues regarding the changing of your Intranet password have been resolved in a few simple steps! 100%great is no more!

• Log in to the Intranet with your current password.
• Click on ‘Hi, Cameron Murray‘ (except it will be your name, obvs).
• Click ‘Settings’.
• Click ‘General’.
• Update your email and/or password.
• Log out and the changes will have been made.
• Don’t forget your password, that would be annoying!

If you DO forget your password and can’t log in, please ring me on extension 230 or email cameron.murray@derianhouse.co.uk.

There will be more changes implemented over the next couple of weeks including a refreshed and revised Policies and Documents section. An email will be sent when these are completed.

Please spread the word with family members, friends and those further afield – you may know someone who owns a business, and we’re asking them to take OUR money!

Work bake sale? Sponsored lunchtime walk? Even a golf day with clients and suppliers…

Running from March ’til June, our £50 Challenge will see us hand businesses across the North West fifty quid in return for their pledge to turn it into much more for Derian House.

Last time, the campaign raised almost £40,000 – can your workplace top this year’s leaderboard with its own own unique fundraising idea?

For more information or to sign up, please fill in the enquiry form over on our website, or contact the Fundraising Team on 01257 271271.

 https://www.derianhouse.co.uk/events/50-challenge/

Business are also welcome to come along to our networking breakfast on Friday 11th February for the launch of 2022’s £50 Business Challenge. We would love for your business-y friends to join us for a bacon or sausage barm and hear about how their workplace can get involved in this year’s challenge.

Entry is free but due to space restrictions it will be a ticketed event. Please reserve your space by booking on our website via the link below. There’s NO commitment to take part in the £50 Business Challenge… just come along, get some ideas and join us for breakfast!

 https://www.derianhouse.co.uk/events/50busbreakfast/

Dear Derian House Colleagues,

Writing this on the last day of January allows me to reflect on the start of the year, the challenges we have all faced with the continuing COVID rules and how this impacts on our daily lives. It has been a difficult month, January always feels a long and dark month and as we move in to February we can look forward to lighter evenings and plan for Spring and Summer.

As restrictions ease outside of Derian it is important to remember that as a health care provider we are still maintaining our COVID-Secure procedures. These are reviewed each month at the Senior Management Team meeting and feel that continuing to maintain  this approach until the end of March when we understand that many health care setting restrictions will be eased. I am very aware of the limited seating in Danni’s Diner and thank everyone for the continued support in maintaining the seating rules, we have managed for nearly two years and I am hopeful within a short number of months we can increase capacity and alongside these rules we also continue to apply the face mask and social distancing guidance.

I was hoping to do the Keeping in Touch sessions face to face at the start of the year however, restrictions stopped that happening, I do hope we can move back to those larger group sessions very soon. Below are some key items to keep you up to date with what is happening at the moment  :-

• The Hospice continues to get busier and as we welcome Ruth as our new Hospice Manager I know she is keen to ensure this continues, I would also formally like to welcome Ruth and our other new starters to the Derian family.
• Our Derian at Home colleagues continue to be busy supporting families across the region, winter is always a difficult time and our team provide so much support to families which we know is highly valued.
• We are continuing to increase services within Family Support and Wellbeing and it is great to see activities happening across Derian and beyond.
• We have also seen quite a few new staff commence in January in both the clinical and non-clinical areas, please pop on to the Intranet to check them out, if you see new faces around the Hospice please say hello and welcome them to the team.
• We saw almost 70 team members attend the Culture and Values sessions in the last couple of months of 2021, we hope to continue these sessions again in February to make sure as many people as possible can be part of Year 4.
• The financial situation in 2021 was challenging however, through the excellent work of our fundraising, marketing and communications teams we beat our revised budget. Although we had a deficit in 2021 we were ahead of what we planned to achieve and I thank everyone involved in every aspect of our income for their support and hard work.
• We have lots planned for raising funds in 2022, all our events are back on and we will share these with you shortly. If you want to get involved in fundraising then please pop and see one of the fundraising team.
• Our campaigns have been very successful with the latest telling Isabelle’s Story raising huge amounts. The work to manage these campaigns is massive so thanks to finance (for processing hundreds of donations), marketing and fundraising and of course thank you to Isabelle’s Dad who shared his words and feelings.
• In 2022 the world of CCG’s (clinical commissioning groups) will be changing, this is a massive shake up of the system and Lynn and I are heavily involved in discussions across Lancashire, South Cumbria and Greater Manchester We have quite a way to go but we are positive about the engagement so far and also pleased with the recognition of Derian House and the respect it has within the health and social care sector within the region.
• EMIS project continues and I will ensure we send a more detailed update to everyone very soon.
• Julie Atherton Professional Development Grant applications closed in early December and we were delighted with the response. Successful applicants should have been contacted and many congratulations to those who were successful. The grant programme will open again for applications in September 2022 so please discuss with your Line Manager if you have any areas of interest.
• Our shops had a successful Christmas trading period and we are now focused on growing our current stores and opening new stores in Accrington and Bury within the next few months.

Around and About the Hospice (and beyond)

• Reflection Garden, it is almost finished and I hope you have had chance to pass by and take a quick look. There are still some additional works to be done (canopy covers over two of the benches) and we have to wait a little while for the cement to dry before we can add water to the ponds, we hope this will be in about three weeks’ time. HSBC are coming in this week to help clean and replace the pebbles around the pools and we also have some of the bereaved family group coming in this week to take a look.
• Woodland Suite, this facility is now re-open after being closed whilst we completed the Reflection Garden, we have a few finishing off items of furniture to complete the furnishings but the room is available to book and be used.
• Derian on Holiday, both Ribby Hall and South Lakeland are closed for their annual check and refresh (this happens every year), we will be re-open again in the middle of February offering our Derian families a week’s holiday. If you have not seen these lodges then now is the time to visit as once we re-open we are usually fully booked and it is more difficult to view, if you are interested in visiting please speak to your line manager who can escalate to Luke and myself.
• EV Charging , after a number of delays in setting up the financial side of the machines we are hopeful these will be working at some point in February, Luke will send a message when this happens.

As you can see we have had a busy time and we have great plans for 2022.

Thank you all for your support and commitment and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask me, any member of the senior team or your line manager.

David

MONDAY 31^st                

• Sensory Story Time with Caroline will take place in the Seaside Room from 1:30-3:00pm for Derian families.

TUESDAY 1^st

• Individual sessions of Music Therapy with Martha will be taking place in The Snug from 3.00-5.00pm this afternoon.

• 新年快乐… Happy Chinese New Year! We’ll be getting up to all sorts of activities throughout the hospice today to celebrate Year of the Tiger!

• Derian Play Group will take place in the Seaside Room from 10:00-12:00 for our 0-5 year olds and their families.

• We have a group of seven volunteers from HSBC coming today to help finish the new Reflection Garden. They’ll be helping with the planting of new plants and washing the memorial pebbles. Shuna and Linda will also be making an appearance from 1:30-2:00pm.

WEDNESDAY 2^nd

• Join our music teacher Rachel Toner in from 11am for a sing-a-long in The Snug.

• Derian House GPs Meeting will take place this afternoon.

• Similar to yesterday, we’ll have a group of six volunteers from HSBC visiting us to finish off the Reflection Garden.

THURSDAY 3^rd

• Everyone’s favourite Pets as Therapy dog, Shuna, will be arriving at Derian with her human Linda for their weekly visit.

• David (CEO), Dawn (Family and Young People Services Manager), Luke (Head of Facilities and Infrastructure) and Lee Graham (LifeNoW Nurse) are visiting Bolton Hospice this morning.

• A group of our bereaved families will be coming to the hospice to view the new Reflection Garden and lay their child’s pebble this afternoon.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• January is Make a Will Month, so visit our Intranet article for how you can use our free Will facility to write your Will and support Derian House in the process.

• If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to in the next 7 days, please send an email to cameron.murray@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday the week before.

Have a great week everyone!

Within the December temperature check we saw improvements in a number of areas as well as decreases in others. As you will note from the grid, this is common movements but does allow us to reflect on areas that we may need specific focus or discussion. Unfortunately participation has declined and sadly does provide a representative view of all staff and therefore hope that those that did not manage to participate in this survey will in the June Birdsong.

Summary of overall results:

Comparison of engagement figures

All below figures represent the ‘Strongly Agree’ and ‘Agree’ responses.

* Volunteers now have a separate survey and will be reported separately

Review of verbatim comments

Of the 63 respondents 86% believe that since the Birdsong survey effective communication had increased.

We are pleased that the majority feel the communication has improved the senior team are focussed on ensuring that this continues. Please help us by feeding back any other methods of communication that would help you understand what’s happening at Derian.

Summarised points

Participation

The 45% participation figure is disappointing across the organisation. Whilst retail has seen significant improvements, commercial has remained static with reasonable participation and we would like to the participation of our care Team improve dramatically as we saw just 35% which does not give us a true reflection of this vitally important section of our workforce.

Decrease in Trustee and SMT confidence

Confidence in Trustees and Senior Management both decreased. Whilst disappointing we are mindful that we are operating the charity in the ongoing pandemic and cannot always deliver messages that are well received. Both the Trustees and SMT members are committed to providing the upmost support to everyone and if any of feel reduced confidence in us please share your views in order to understand why things happen and support you through these ever changing times. We are delighted that Ruth Islip has now joined us a Hospice Manager and working alongside Dawn and Clare we are confident we have a strong, knowledgeable and effective leadership team working with Lynn and the rest of the Senior Team.

Communication

The increased scores and feedback surrounding communication are excellent. We have noted a verbatim comment about the methods of communication we have utilised throughout the pandemic and the appropriate manager has been made aware of this and is taking steps to ensure everyone is familiar with this method and understand why it is being used.

Here are this week’s soup of the day options:

Monday 24th January:

• Mediterranean (with Chickpea and Spinach)

Thursday 27th January:

• Potato, Bacon & Corn Chowder (Vegan option available)

VOTE FOR US

• Our friends at Chorley Building Society have shortlisted us to be their Charity of the Year for 2022.The vote is open to the public and will close on Friday 29th January, so please share with all your friends and follow the link below to vote.

Vote for our Charity of the Year 2022 | Chorley Building Society (chorleybs.co.uk)

MONDAY 24^th                  

• Sensory Story Time with Caroline will take place in the Seaside Room from 1:30-3:00pm for Derian families.

TUESDAY 25^th

• Individual sessions of Music Therapy with Martha will be taking place in The Snug from 3.00-5.00pm this afternoon.

• Derian Play Group will take place in the Seaside Room from 10:00-12:00 for our 0-5 year olds and their families.

WEDNESDAY 26^th

• Join our music teacher Rachel Toner in from 11am for a sing-a-long in The Snug.

• The QSI Sub-Committee will take place virtually this morning.

• The first spade will be put in the ground at Green Hills, Blackburn, for a ceremony celebrating the start of the Great Big House Giveaway house being built. Freddie Hewitt and his family will be coming along to officially mark the start of the build and be interviewed by ITV Granada Reports.

THURSDAY 27^th

• Our Patron, Kiki DeVille, will be on site to start planning The Keepsake Circle 2022.

• Everyone’s favourite Pets as Therapy dog, Shuna, will be arriving at Derian with her human Linda for their weekly visit.

FRIDAY 28^th

• Mick Croskery (Fundraising Manager) is off to Walney Island to visit our 75-year-old super-grandad Ralph White who’s been walking two miles a day for the past 10 days to mark 10 years of living with cancer… just 10 days after being discharged from the Christie Hospital following major surgery. He’s raised over £3,000 for us and was even featured on BBC’s North West Tonight last week.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• It’s the final week of our January SALE across all five of our stores in Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Leyland and Horwich, as well as our online store, with up to 75% off every single item!

• January is Make a Will Month, so visit our Intranet article for how you can use our free Will facility to write your Will and support Derian House in the process.

• If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to in the next 7 days, please send an email to cameron.murray@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday the week before.

Have a great week everyone 🙂

VOTE FOR US

• Our friends at Chorley Building Society have shortlisted us to be their Charity of the Year for 2022. The vote is open to the public and will close on Friday 29th January, so if you haven’t already then please share with all your friends and follow the link below to vote.

Vote for our Charity of the Year 2022 | Chorley Building Society (chorleybs.co.uk)

MONDAY 17^th                  

• David Robinson (CEO) and Luke Bateson (Head of Facilities and Infrastructure) will be visiting our holiday lodges at Ribby Hall and South Lakeland Leisure Village to carry out annual checks.

• Sensory Story Time with Caroline (Wellbeing & Play Worker) will take place in the Seaside Room from 1:30-3:00pm for Derian families.

• The next We Are Derian meeting will be held in the Lodge Conference Room from 2:00pm, with a member from each department attending. If you can’t attend but would like to raise something in the meeting, you’re welcome to log it in the Staff Forum section of the Intranet.

TUESDAY 18^th

• Individual sessions of Music Therapy with Martha will be taking place in The Snug from 3.00-5.00pm this afternoon.

• Derian Play Group will take place in the Seaside Room from 10:00-12:00 for our 0-5 year olds and their families.

WEDNESDAY 19^th

• Join our music teacher Rachel Toner in from 11am for a sing-a-long in The Snug.

• Derian Dads group will restart this week after a break due to COVID. They’ll meet in the Seaside Room from 6:30pm.

• Referral Panel will meet today. For anyone interested in attended, please speak to Michelle Blackett (Care Team Leader) for location and time.

THURSDAY 20^th

• Our two lottery partners will be visiting the hospice today.

• Everyone’s favourite Pets as Therapy dog, Shuna, will be arriving at Derian with her human Linda for their weekly visit.

FRIDAY 21^st

• Our older siblings at Chill Out and Chat will meet in the Seaside Room from 6:30-9:00pm this evening.

SATURDAY 22^nd

• Danni’s Club will be meeting for their first Saturday session of the year from 1:30-4:00pm in the Seaside Room.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• Our January SALE is now on across all five of our stores in Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Leyland and Horwich, as well as our online store, with up to 75% off every single item!

• If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to in the next 7 days, please send an email to cameron.murray@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday the week before.

Have a great week everyone J

It’s that time of year again, as soon as Christmas is over and the New Year has begun, we start to look at making New Year’s resolutions. Here’s why your resolution for 2022 should be to Make a Will…

It might not help you to lose weight, or conquer the half marathon you’ve been talking about for years, but writing a Will is a good way to provide for the future of the loved ones that you have spent time with at Christmas, and support Derian House.

Did you know? Gifts in Wills fund the care of 1 in 5 of our children and young people.

Make A Will Month is an opportunity for us to promote our partnerships with Will writing services as well as starting a conversation with our supporters about the impact of leaving a gift in their Will to Derian House.

Many people consider talking about Wills to be a sad topic as they associate it with dying, but actually writing a Will is encouraged when any important life event occurs for example getting married, buying a house or having a new baby.

Writing a Will should be viewed as an uplifting experience as you are planning for the future, taking care of your loved ones and it’s a wonderful way to support a charity too, leaving behind a legacy.

When we consider our donor journey, a supporter might first become involved with Derian House doing a sponsored run or challenge event, but then go on to donate regularly. By promoting gifts in Wills we hope that when the time is right for them to remember a charity in their Will we will be at the forefront of their mind.

If you have any questions about how to get started with writing your Will or you want to know more about leaving a gift in your Will to Derian House, please email gillian.rabbett@derianhouse.co.uk

MONDAY 10^th                    

• We’ve got FIVE new starters arriving at the hospice today. Ruth Islip, our new Hospice Manager, Derian at Home Nurse Samantha Fisher, Registered Nurses Emma Smith and Lisa Akgunduz, and PR & Communications Officer Rebecca Feeley. Say hello and make yourselves be known to them if you see them!

• Sensory Story Time with Caroline will take place in the Seaside Room from 1:30-3:00pm for Derian families.

TUESDAY 11^th

• Individual sessions of Music Therapy with Martha will be taking place in The Snug from 3.00-5.00pm this afternoon.

• Derian Play Group will take place in the Seaside Room from 10:00-12:00 for our 0-5 year olds and their families.

• It’s the first Senior Management Team & Health and Safety Meeting of the year this morning in Vinten Meeting Room.

WEDNESDAY 12^th

• Join our music teacher Rachel Toner in The Snug from 11am for a sing-song.

• There’ll be a visit from HSBC to see updates on the Reflection Garden (previously Memorial Garden) which they are helping to fund.

THURSDAY 13^th

• The HR Strategic Sub-Committee will be meeting virtually this morning.

• Everyone’s favourite Pets as Therapy dog, Shuna, will be arriving at Derian with her human Linda for their weekly visit.

FRIDAY 14^th

• David Robinson (CEO), Lynn Grayson (Director of Clinical Services), Vanessa Spinks (Head of Governance and Compliance) and Dawn Andrews (Family and Young People Services Manager) will be meeting with Bolton Hospice virtually.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• Our January SALE is now on across all five of our stores in Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Leyland and Horwich, as well as our online store, with up to 75% off every single item!

• Exciting news – the lease has been signed on our newest shop venture in Accrington, with an opening date hopefully in March ’22.

• If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to in the next 7 days, please send an email to cameron.murray@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday the week before.

Have a great week everyone!

We need you! Our friends at Chorley Building Society have shortlisted us to be their Charity of the Year for 2022.

The vote is open to the public and will close on Friday 29th January, so please share with all your friends and follow the link below to vote.

Vote for our Charity of the Year 2022 | Chorley Building Society (chorleybs.co.uk)

One of Derian’s grandparents, Marjorie Ainscow, has sponsored a Derian House nurse in memory of her grandson Eddie for today, Thursday 6th January, on what would’ve been his birthday.

At Marjorie’s request, we wanted to share with you her words alongside her donation.

Edward Gregory (Eddie)
Forever 17

Marjorie Ainscow has sponsored a
Derian House Nurse on Eddie’s Birthday
Thursday 6th January in
Loving memory of her precious
Grandson, Eddie.

I love and miss you to the moon
And back Eddie.
God bless, Grandma xx 🎈

Happy New Year everyone… let’s go and smash 2022!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love from…

The Intranet 💚

Your hospice needs you!

As we increase our store count and further improve our own branded product in 2022, we’re looking to create a Retail Focus Group to help generate product ideas.

The first session will be held 10:00 – 12:00 on Friday 7^th January 2022 in the Seaside Room.

If you’re interested in joining the group, please email andrew.uptonford@derianhouse.co.uk expressing both your interest and ideas by Sunday 2^nd January 2022. Andrew will then invite as many members as they can safely accommodate in the Seaside Room, while reviewing all ideas sent. Our intention is to hold these meetings at least quarterly.

What green New Year’s Resolutions have you got in your back pocket?

• Recycle more?
• Walk or cycle to work?
• Use re-usable shopping bags?
• Eat less meat?

Whatever they may be, we want your ideas!

Our first big initiative for Derian’s Go Green strategy will be launched on January 1st, the perfect time to make those changes in your day-to-day lives. Please send andrew.uptonford@derianhouse.co.uk your New Green Resolutions! Andrew will be looking at all the small marginal and creative things that we can come up with and creating a Green story on the back of these.

MONDAY 20^th                       

• Our children and young people will be planning ahead by making 2022 calendars in the Messy PlayZone.

TUESDAY 21^st

• Individual sessions of Music Therapy with Martha will be taking place in The Snug from 3.00-5.00pm this afternoon.

• We’re having a mini party day today throughout the hospice, with plenty of Christmas party games, singing, and music and movement with Claire. Come and join the festive fun!

• Keep your noses open for lots of lovely smells coming from the kitchen – our youngsters will be baking Christmas treats ready for a visit from Santa this afternoon.

• Did someone say ‘Girls Trip’?! Our female lodgers will be out and about getting some last-minute Christmas shopping in the Trafford Centre amongst a whole host of other activities!

WEDNESDAY 22^nd

• Join our music teacher Rachel Toner in The Snug from 11am for a Christmas Sing-a-long.

• Sensory Story Time with Caroline will take place in the Seaside Room from 1:30-3:00pm for Derian families.

THURSDAY 23^rd 

• Claire will be hosting a Christmas-themed musical exercise session of Music & Movement this morning in the Lodge Lounge.

• Everyone’s favourite Pets as Therapy dog, Shuna, will be arriving at Derian with her human Linda for their weekly visit.

• Our second Trees of Love open evening will take place from 4.00-8.00pm this evening, with our supporters who’ve sponsored a tree visiting the hospice for a tour of the magical tree forest.

FRIDAY 24^th

• Christmas-themed sensory story time will take place this morning.

• It’s home time! We better get prepared ready for Santa’s arrival tonight… don’t forget the carrot for Rudolph!

• All our shops will close at 2pm today for Christmas. Blackburn and Preston will reopen on Monday 27^th, with Chorley, Horwich and Leyland reopening on Wednesday 29^th.

SATURDAY 25^th

• MERRY CHRISTMAS! Have an amazing day celebrating with your colleagues, family and friends!

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to in the next 7 days, please send an email to cameron.murray@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday the week before.

Ho ho hope you a great week everyone… Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! J

From 12pm – 2pm this Friday 17th December, a complimentary Christmas lunch will be served in Danni’s Diner to all of our staff and volunteers working that day. Please don’t choose lunch on the system, as the baguettes (complete with all the trimmings!) are free of charge.

For our retail teams, lunches will be delivered by Derian’s elves to each of our stores for staff and volunteers.

There will also be veg/ve alternatives available. Please let Jeff the Chef know in advance of any special dietary requirements and if you’ll be having the meat free alternative.

What’s on Weekly emails are back (wooooo don’t all cheer at once!)! Here’s your weekly guide to everything happening at Derian House. If you’ve got something you’d like to add to the weekly bulletin, please drop me an email by Thursday the week before. This can be anything from new starters to in-house activities, external visitors to retirement parties in the Seaside Room! This will also be placed on the Intranet News section J

WHAT’S ON WEEKLY @ DERIAN HOUSE

(December 13^th – December 19^th)

SATURDAY 11^th

• The Rivington Barn Bikers will be back once again after a year out due to COVID. They’ll be arriving at the hospice on their bikes from 5pm to deliver plenty of presents so make sure to say hello if you see them!

MONDAY 13^th                       

• Our children and young people will be taking part in Christmas-themed fun in the Messy PlayZone.

TUESDAY 14^th

• A virtual meeting will take place between Derian House and LifeNoW this morning.

• If you’re taking part in Secret Santa, today is the FINAL DAY to bring your gifts in.

• Individual sessions of Music Therapy with Martha will be taking place in The Snug from 3.00-5.00pm this afternoon.

• We’re having a mini party day today throughout the hospice, with plenty of Christmas party games, singing, and music and movement with Claire. Come and join the festive fun!

• Our lodgers will be visiting the Trafford Centre for an ice show to celebrate the ‘graduation’ of one of our youngsters.

WEDNESDAY 15^th

• Resident music teacher Rachel Toner will be in The Snug from 11am for singing and music.

• Sensory Story Time will take place this morning in the Lodge Lounge.

• A selection of our young people will be visiting Bolton Wanderers Community Trust for a bowling competition this morning – good luck!

THURSDAY 16^th

• CEO at Trinity/Brian House, David Houston, and CEO at Eden Valley, Trish Livesey are visiting the hospice and meeting with David and Lynn this morning.

• Everyone’s favourite Pets as Therapy dog, Shuna, will be arriving at Derian with her human Linda for their weekly visit.

FRIDAY 17^th

• Our Trees of Love open evening will take place from 4.00-8.00pm this evening, with our supporters who’ve sponsored a tree visiting the hospice for a tour of the magical tree forest and a mulled wine! Our Retail Team will also be joining us for a stall at the event. We are looking for some marshals to help monitor various areas around the grounds, so if you’d like to volunteer then please drop our fundraiser Ellie an email!

• There’s a Scavenger Hunt in Astley Park this afternoon – collect your list of items to be found from the Wellbeing and Play Team.

SATURDAY 18^th

• If you’re stuck for things to do this weekend, why not take a tour of the #DerianDeckTheHalls lights? 35 households from 14 towns and villages across Lancashire have gone all out to host light shows in their gardens to support Derian this Christmas, and you can download the map of where they all are here – https://www.derianhouse.co.uk/events/deck-the-halls/

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to in the next 7 days, please send an email to cameron.murray@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday the week before.

Ho ho hope you a great week everyone! J

Dear Derian House Colleagues,

In light of the government announcements last night the senior team are assessing the information currently available.

CARE

–

As guidance has not changed for care settings we will continue all Hospice operations as normal, if you have any questions then please ask Lynn, Dawn, Rosie or Clare.

We will be reviewing visitor access to the inside of the House, Lodge and Vinten Place, where a visit is deemed non-essential we will postpone these until a later date. Professional visits will still continue with strict access controls at reception, mandatory lateral flows and Hands/Face/Space rules apply as normal.

NON-CLINICAL

The senior team will assess our plans in preparation for the Monday implementation of the new rules and a further message will be sent to everyone tomorrow. These plans will include working from home, room occupancy reviews, assessing the risks around Trees of Love and any other activity.

RETAIL/VANS/WAREHOUSE

Operations will continue as normal with enhanced caution in areas such as PPE and Hands/Face/Space rules.

TRAINING = MENTAL HEALTH AND CULTURE AND VALUES SESSIONS

We have made the decision to cancel these as they were planned with blended teams from inside and outside the building, we will reschedule for the New Year.

As I stated, a full briefing will be issued tomorrow, if you have any specific concerns or questions then please speak to any member of the SMT or your Line Manager, they may not have the immediate answer but they can find out for you.

FINALLY – Your wellbeing is our top priority, if you are struggling with the issues surrounding COVID and need to speak to someone then please remember you have access to free counselling through our SAGE Benefits scheme, details are on the Intranet. We, of course, also have the work related counselling, please see your line manager if you need referring.

Thank you and more information will come tomorrow.

David

Board Meeting

• The Board met and the following four Strategic Ambitions were agreed:

1. Be a centre for children’s specialised palliative care in the North West.
2. Build a Wellbeing Centre.
3. Balance the books.
4. Remain ‘as is’ and maintain Outstanding.

• These ambitions will form the foundations for our Strategic Aims over the next three years.  The Trustees were very supportive and consensus at Board was that 2022 will be a demanding, but truly exciting year for the Hospice.

Human Resources

• Could all Team Members who have not yet, send confirmation of their Vaccination status by 31^st December 2021. The most accurate place to get this information is via your NHS App.
• Please remember that the latest Staff Survey Temperature check is due by close Sunday 12^th Follow the link if you haven’t had your  say yet; https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=L4KxNBc8uk-2fphc2W8kL2p8YNixmbxBmbI38i7OQhNUQ1kzUlFLSTNVUkpGQ1pCTFlGUlM0N0s5UyQlQCN0PWcu
• Festive Fun!  The first set of frivolities will be held this Thursday.  Dates and themes as follows,

All activities will between 14:00 – 15:00 in various rooms and where weather permits, outside.

Please check the Intranet for more details on Fun Activities being held across the Hospice.

Go Green

• Our first big initiative for our Go Green strategy will be launched on January 1^st.  Please send uptonford@derianhouse.co.uk your New Green Resolutions!  These should be small and can be either professional or personal.  For example; eating less meat, printing less paper, walking or cycling more etc.  I’ll be looking at all the small marginal and creative things that we can come up with and creating a Green story on the back of these.

Retail

• Your Hospice needs you!   As we increase our store count and further improve our own branded product, we’re looking to create a Retail Focus Group to help generate product ideas.  The first session will be held 10:00 – 12:00 on Friday 7^th January 2022 in the Seaside Room.  If you’re interested in joining the group, please email uptonford@derianhouse.co.uk expressing both your interest and ideas by Sunday 2^nd January 2022.  I will invite as many members as we can safely accommodate in the Seaside Room, while reviewing all ideas sent.  Our intention is to hold these meetings at least quarterly.

The SMT would like to express their thanks and appreciated to all of our wonderful people for the care, service, support and work they do.

In what has been another challenging year, we all take pride in what we do, and most importantly what we provide. We are all working towards a shared goal based on our Strategic Aims.

With all the daily changes we face, anxiety and confusion around the hospice is a source of tranquillity not just for our children and young people, but for many of us too. Derian House is truly a special place, made even more amazing by you.

Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Back due to popular demand, Festive Fun @ 2pm starts up again this Thursday 9th December!

Drop what you’re doing (well, within reason!) and meet up for a social chinwag with your fellow colleagues and volunteers and celebrate Christmas the Derian way.

Below is the official timetable for all the events happening at 2pm over the next few weeks (locations TBC).

Kicking things off with Snowball Pong are the Fundraising, Comms and Marketing Team this Thursday 9th December from 2pm in the Lodge Conference Room. Make sure to drink responsibly 😉

A little reminder that payday will be slightly earlier this month.

December payday will be Friday 17^th.

Care Team only

Due to the earlier date please may all premium payment and bank shift forms be submitted by the end of this week (3^rd December). If Ben hasn’t received the form by midday Friday it will not be processed in time for payday.

In November, 6️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ Santas jingled all the way to the top of Rivington Pike and back to raise money for us, The Keepsake Circle project launched with our Patron Kiki Deville performing songs written alongside Derian families, and Christmas came early as we geared up for the festive season here at the hospice #MonthInAMinute 💚

Tomorrow is World Prematurity Day, and our Perinatal Team (consisting of Katie T and Kathryn) will be setting up a stall in one of the bedrooms to offer an insight to their roles at the hospice.

All staff are welcome to drop by between 8am-4pm to learn something new. There’ll also be treats incase you weren’t already interested!

Religion or belief discrimination is were you maybe face discrimination, harassment or victimisation because of your religion or belief. It is one of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act and is mainly divided into two areas: religion and religious belief and philosophical belief.

The Equality Act does not give a comprehensive list of religions, although its explanatory notes give examples – the Baha’i faith, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Rastafarianism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism. Religious belief is an individual’s own faith and how it affects their life. Broadly speaking, a philosophical belief must be all of the following:

• genuinely held
• not just an opinion or point-of-view based on current information
• a weighty and substantial aspect of human life and behaviour
• clear, logical, convincing, serious, important, and
• worthy of respect in a democratic society, compatible with human dignity and not conflicting with the fundamental rights of others.

It is broadly accepted that, for example, humanism, atheism and agnosticism are ‘beliefs’, but supporting a football team or loyalty to your native country are not.

All protected beliefs are equal – whether religious or philosophical – so one protected belief cannot override another.

So how do we ensure we do not discriminate against Religion and religious beliefs and philosophical belief?

Areas of employment where religion or belief discrimination may most frequently occur are:

• recruitment
• requests for taking annual leave, breaks and time away from work for religious reasons
• dress code

Recruitment – Within the recruitment process we do not ask candidates for any kind of information relating to their religion or beliefs. We believe that this information is not required in order for us to select the best person for the job. Following the pre-employment stage we ask that if any staff require any form of reasonable adjustment to standard working practices due to a religion or belief they let us know so we can discuss further.

Requests for taking annual leave, breaks and time away from work for religious reasons – As a service that runs 24/7/365 we do not have any form of shut down due to a religious holiday. Annual Leave is managed on a rotating basis where someone who had a certain time off one year may not be approved the following year to allow another staff member who may not have previously had that time. Time away from the workplace for religious reasons is always managed on a case by case basis and Derian would make any reasonable adjustments that work for both the individual and also the running of our services.

Dress code –  Although within the Care Team we have a set uniform due to IPC regulations we have ensured the uniform is flexible enough to accommodate the various requirements of different religions relating to dress and appearance. We would always make any reasonable adjustments required to ensure staff feel comfortable in work and IPC standards are maintained.  On the commercial side of the organisation, all staff are asked to appear professional however have the flexibility to present that in line with their personal religious beliefs.

At Derian House we have zero tolerance on any kind of discrimination. If you feel you or someone you work with is a victim of discrimination, please speak to the HR department.

Health and Safety

• Fire Marshall Training has now been completed – thank you to those who took part and certificates have been issued/SMI records updated.

Flu and COVID

• People are reminded to book their COVID boosters and flu jabs asap – and please don’t forget to let HR know when you’ve had your booster done.

Hospice

• A big thank you to everyone who was involved in the high profile case of the little girl who came to us for end-of-life care from a children’s hospital recently – this was excellent team work and really showed what we are capable of when we all work together.
• We are working with NHS England on our strategy and are in discussions about Derian House being used as an exemplar site (example of best practice) – exciting news!
• A new Hospice Manager, Ruth Islip, has been appointed and will start work in January.
• The Hospice UK conference in Liverpool was a success last week with our poster going down well among delegates – well done everyone.
• **For those in Vinten Place** Please charge your laptop before you come into work on December 8 as we having electrical tests taking place and the power will be on and off all day.
• The electrical vehicle charging points in the car park will be up and running in a couple of weeks once the new software has been installed.
• We have had a really good round of clinical recruitment and now only need 2 more nurses and 3 CSWs to be at the stage of being able to run 10 beds at the hospice.
• The Keepsake Circle, a new song writing project for families with Patron Kiki Deville, is being officially launched on Friday (12 Nov) with albums of the 10 children’s songs being available to buy for £10.

Retail

• We have new shops planned for Bury and Accrington which will be opening soon.

Income

• We have recruited a new PR and Comms Officer, Rebecca Feely, who will be working on writing case studies and new leaflets for families. She will start in January.
• If you want a laugh, have a look at our latest video to encourage more ticket sales in the Great Big House Giveaway – a lesson in “Lancashire” with the builders! WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro8x33tNTRA
• The Christmas campaign telling Isabelle’s story will be going out at the start of next week (15 Nov) – anybody wanting to donate should be passed through to finance or fundraising teams.
• Our Christmas events are well underway. Will you join in Deck the Halls and decorate your house for Derian? Do you know anyone who would like to buy a Tree of Love? Or if you want to book FREE tickets for Lights of Love at Blackburn Cathedral on Friday, December 3 then be quick as there are only around 100 left! See derianhouse.co.uk/events for details.

Staff news

• Do you have a bright idea on how we can improve our services for our families? Don’t forget you can make a staff proposal to SMT. This will be the subject of discussion at the next We are Derian staff forum on 17 November.

• The deadline for extra training is approaching. If you would like to take advantage of this special funding then simply find a course you’d like to do and send it to Ben in HR with a short paragraph on why you want to do it (no form filling required – nice and simple!)

Please be aware there are changes to the process for the use of lone working devices.

All devices are now pooled. This means they are not assigned to an individual. There are devices available to take from the Care Team office and Vinten Place first floor open office which are not restricted between commercial and care.

Two very important things to note when using a device:

• You must press the CALL1 button and record your name and location you are traveling to. A new message will automatically override the previous log. If you do not record your own message, this may delay a security response as the information the device holds at the time of need will be incorrect.

• Ensure the red battery light is either continuously lit (full charge) or no more than 1 flash per 2 seconds (good charge) prior to taking the device. Although the device does have very good battery life, it is essential for the device to remain on charge when at Derian House.

Attached is a full guide of using the device.

If there are any queries on this process or the general use and requirements for these devices, please let Luke Bateson know.

MySOS How To Guide

We are pleased to open entries for this year’s Julie Atherton Professional Development Grant.

In previous years, we have used this funding to specifically upskill and expand our clinical team however this year the SMT have decided to open the funding up to everyone.

Further details are on the attached poster so please have a read through, consider how you can develop and think big! The deadline for applications are Friday 3^rd December and please send completed applications to either Lynn Grayson or myself.

Good luck and don’t be shy to ask any questions.

Gender discrimination is unequal or disadvantageous treatment of an individual or group of individuals based on gender. Gender discrimination is one of the areas covered by the 2010 Equality Act which includes legislation against many forms of discrimination. Gender discrimination can be direct or indirect. It can also take the form of victimisation or harassment.

Gender discrimination does not need to be deliberate. Someone may be discriminating against you without realising it or meaning to, but this might still count as discrimination. The law against gender discrimination does not allow positive discrimination in favour of one sex. For example, an employer is not allowed to insist on only recruiting or promoting women to a particular job because women have previously been discriminated against when applying for that role.

So how do we ensure we do not discriminate against Gender?

It is illegal for Derian House to discriminate against you because of your gender. Areas of employment where gender discrimination may typically occur are:

• Recruitment and selection
• Promotion
• Pay and benefits
• Redundancy and dismissal
• Terms and conditions of work

Recruitment and selection – Derian House is committed to ensure that neither Gender based discrimination or gender bias takes place in any practice including Recruitment and Selection. When recruiting a new role, we are strict to ensure that adverts remain accessible and are written in a gender neutral manner. We also ensure that all shortlisting activities and interviews are held with a heavily structured process to ensure all candidates are provided with equal opportunity.

Promotion – When deciding which staff are eligible for promotion the main issue to avoid is unconscious bias from the line manager. Therefore, in all promotion situations there is a discussion around suitability and performance in order to lower the risk of unfair evaluation. This joint discussion maybe between the line manager, HR, the CEO or the Board of Trustees.

Pay and benefits – The Equal Pay Act 1970 gives you the right to be treated equally in terms of pay in comparison to a member of the opposite sex. At Derian House we have a rigid salary evaluation process which is benchmarked by an external company. Our roles are benchmarked by the associated job description and therefore the pay and benefit package an individual receives is dictated by their position.

Redundancy and dismissal – In order to move ahead with fair Redundancy and dismissal there are a number of factors that have to be considered. Whenever an individual or pool of people are selected for risk of redundancy we always ensure we follow the ACAS code of practice. In instances of dismissal we have strict policies in place to ensure that all staff regardless of gender are subject to the same process.

Terms and conditions of work – At Derian House we have a set of contractual terms and conditions which are split into the following categories; Care team, Retail, Intern, Office and management and Facilities. These terms are in line with all legislation and written by the organisational employment lawyers. Terms and Conditions of staff are therefore driven by your department rather than any personal circumstance and do not vary per individual.

If anyone is still wanting a flu vaccine, Hayleigh and Sue Ward will be here from 9am tomorrow (Thursday 28th October).

Please drop either of them a line to book your vaccine slot.

By popular demand, Rachel Toner will be resuming the Derian Voices choir, beginning on Wednesday 17^th November.

The choir will meet each Wednesday in the Seaside Room (unless advised differently) at 12.00 lunchtime.  All are welcome, even if you can’t hold a tune!

On the run up to Christmas, come along and join in with some happy, festive songs to put you in the Christmas mood!

Rachel can be contacted on tel. 07815687795 if you would like to chat about the choir or to confirm the group is meeting any particular week (if perhaps you’re not on shift and are coming in specially).

Our annual festive service, Lights of Love, is once again taking place at Blackburn Cathedral on Friday 3rd December at 7:30pm.

This year, we are having a musical celebration and there will be plenty of Christmas favourites from the Rawstorne Singers, Local Vocals Choir and our very own Rachel Toner.

We are looking for a member of care staff to perform a short reading at the service, and would love for one of you to get involved. Please email gill.rabbett@derianhouse.co.uk if you’d like to read for us.

If anyone is still wanting a flu vaccine, Michelle will be here from 9am tomorrow (Friday 15th October).

Please drop her a line to book your vaccine slot.

As part of our commitment to better communication between departments, here is our monthly round-up of interesting pieces of info from this month’s SMT meeting held on Wednesday morning. All feedback is more than welcome  and if you have any questions please do let us know.

Amazing news – the Friday Night Club has been recognised at the Duchene Muscular Dystrophy Conference for the Outstanding work it does – AMAZING – WELL DONE!

Health and Safety

• Fire Marshall Training is well underway – thank you everyone for attending so far.
• The Woodland Lodge is open and is now bookable on the Outlook Calendar, please note that priority is given to Counselling, do ensure you book to check availability.

Here’s some information for next week:

• Security will be on site on Monday and will be around 24 hours – please be prepared to show your pass coming onto site, and go and say hello and introduce yourselves
• Please note that if you have visitors, you will need to notify Reception and the Facilities Team
• No use of the Lodge Conference Room on Monday or Tuesday for external visitors
• Please note there will be limited car parking onsite on Monday
• No access to Reflection Room or Lodge for non-clinical staff, if you require entry to these areas permission must be sought from the Clinical Leads
• We advise you set your social media profiles to private
• We also remind you not to enter into any discussion about any children or young people we look after at Derian House
• Please take a look at the Media and Social Media policy which you can access here: https://derianintranet.co.uk/derian/Policies%20and%20Procedures/General/GP21-Media-and-Social-Media-Policy.docx

Christmas

• Please respond to Gill’s email about the Christmas do with whether you are coming and your dietary requirements

Flu & Covid

• Please don’t forget to tell HR whether you have had your flu jab and COVID jabs
• Booster Jabs – you will be notified if it is 26 weeks since your last vaccination if you meet the age or vulnerability criteria, if you haven’t heard you can book (for frontline staff) direct online or you can ring

121’s and Team Meetings

• Don’t forget that your 121’s and Team Meetings are really important, please let your line managers know if you feel they should be more frequent.

It’s time to jingle and mingle at the Derian House STAFF CHRISTMAS PARTY on Friday 26^th November 2021 at Charnock Farm.

Please reply to the all staff email that was sent out on Thursday 14^th October to let us know you’ll be there!

The food will be a Christmas market inspired buffet with something to suit everyone but if you have any specific dietary requirements please send details to this email address.

We have a band performing during the evening and a DJ playing afterwards. If you would like to make any song requests, feel free to send those through to this email address too.

Accommodation is available to book at the venue for those concerned about travelling, or anyone wanting to make a night of it! https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/charnock-farm-motel.en-gb.html

More information will follow in the run-up to the event, but if you have any questions feel free to email or pop in to see us.

We hope you can join us for an evening of Christmas cheer to wrap up the year!

For you to complete…

RSVP

Yes I’m coming!                or            Sorry I can’t make it

Dietary requirements:

Song suggestion:

… and email to christmasparty@derianhouse.co.uk

Yesterday morning (October 4th), we opened up our brand new holiday lodges at South Lakeland Leisure Village ready for a further 100 Derian House families to enjoy a free week-long holiday on top of the 100 holidays we currently offer at Ribby Hall.

Arlo’s family came along to officially declare the lodges open, made even more poignant due to the highly successful ‘Arlo’s Campaign’ which was sent to thousands of supporters earlier in summer. They were also joined by two couples who each donated £500 towards the campaign, money of which went towards the cost of the new holiday homes which were built by Lakeland Lodges.

If you’d like to arrange going up to the Lakes to see the brilliant new lodges in person, please speak to David and he will be more than happy to help arrange.

In September, our children enjoyed a visit from Sonic the Hedgehog and a specially-adapted Ford UK Gaming Transit, we celebrated Jacob Reddy’s fundraising efforts with a homecoming gig, and 14 teams from Kingswood Homes embarked on a tour of the North West in brilliantly-designed bangers! #MonthInAMinute 💚