News

MONDAY 10th

  • The Senior Management Team will meet this morning in the Conference Room.

 

  • Trustees from LifeNoW will be in this afternoon for a contract review meeting.

 

  • Old Swan Productions will be in the building to kickstart the filming of their documentary project about Derian House ‘The Little Things’. Please see Caroline (Head of Income, Comms & Marketing)’s email for more details.

TUESDAY 11th

  • Derian Playgroup for our toddlers and their families will be held in the Seaside Room from 10:30am – 12:00pm.

WEDNESDAY 12th  

  • Karen (CEO) is at Trinity Hospice for an inter-hospice Retail meeting this afternoon.

 

  • Bereaved Dads Group will take place in the Seaside Room this evening.

 

  • The Clinical Education team have invited all staff along to a couple of workshops today and tomorrow for the Lancashire and South Cumbria Children & Young People’s Palliative and End of Life Care Education Project. The project structure will be presented in a workshop form, and people are welcome to drop by between 3:00pm – 5:30pm.

THURSDAY 13th

  • The weekly Care Team Huddle will be held in the Care Team Office from 9:30am. Someone from each team is encouraged to pop along and give an update.

 

  • Our trustees will be in the House for the Quality, Safety & Improvement (QSI) Sub-Committee this afternoon.

FRIDAY 14th

  • Lynn (Director of Clinical Services) and Karen (CEO) are joining a virtual meeting with the Lancs & South Cumbria Hospices Together group this morning

 

  • We’ll be enjoying computer Switch fun with Arron (Wellbeing & Play Worker) this morning in the Hub.

SATURDAY 15th

  • Representatives from The Care Database are on site for a full day workshop.

SUNDAY 16th

  • Dare for Derian, our summer fundraising event, will see 36 of our supporters jump from the sky at Black Knights Parachute Centre today. We wish them lots of luck!

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 murray@derianhouse.co.ukbefore Thursday the week before.

Have a great week everyone! J

What's On Weekly 0

Please could everyone be aware not to disturb the nurses/CSWs when they are completing medications.

There have been a lot of disruptions recently when completing medications in the treatment rooms.

Could we also please remind everyone of the traffic through the bedroom corridor when children and young people are going to bed and getting up in the morning. This has been raised from quite a few Care Team members.

Thank you.

Notices 0

We’ve had another crop of staff members join our team here at the hospice, so read on below to find out more about them!

Amy Williamson – Family Support Worker

Our newest recruit to the Family Support Team has been with us for just over two months now, and has already settled into life at Derian House after her previous stint working with young adults in Blackpool and Longridge.

Amy’s career has been extremely varied, working with both children and adults of all ages on residentials, 121’s, day trips, and direct social work. Her range of skills put her in good stead for her role predominately working with siblings here at the hospice, something of which Amy is most looking forward to.

When it came to joining us here at Derian House, Amy was interested almost immediately – she’s always been a fan of the charity sector, and the chance to work with our inspirational families was also a large factor in why she wanted to make the move.

She’s already been touched by how much love and care goes into the work we do here at the hospice, and learning more about palliative care is something Amy is looking forward to as her role within our Family Support Team develops.

When she’s not at work, Amy is proud cat mum to Toulouse and Evie (named after Aristocats and Pokémon characters, respectively!), and enjoys walks in nature.

FUN FACT: Our talented support worker can lick her elbow!

Tanya Marlow – Clinical Practice Educator

The third and final member of our Clinical Education trio – alongside Alison Morris who’s made the move from the Care Team, and Clinical Education Manager, Kirsty Blackburn – is Tanya, who joins us after five years at Royal Preston Hospital’s children’s ward.

A few years deep into her nursing role, Tanya was seconded into a new role as Clinical Educator, something of which she absolutely loved and wanted to pursue as a career.

The role at Derian House was perfect timing – our newest nurse’s secondment was almost at an end when the job opportunity at her local children’s hospice came up. She’s super excited about working as part of a brand new team, helping to develop ideas, and expanding the education department.

Outside of work, mum-of-one Tanya enjoys spending time with her three-year-old son Ollie, blogging about their days out on Instagram, and spending time up in the Lake District paddleboarding.

FUN FACT: Tanya has actually nursed in four continents – Europe, North America, Asia and Africa!

Alison Butler – Registered Nurse

Joining our Care Team in a nursing capacity is Alison, who has left her role of two and a half years at Lancaster Children’s Ward to make a difference here at Derian House.

Although she wasn’t looking for a new job, Alison couldn’t resist when the opportunity came up – she absolutely loved her time on placement at Brian House Children’s Hospice, and wanted to explore hospice work further.

She’s mostly looking forward to spending time forming relationships with our children and families, and the more holistic and nurturing approach to nursing that hospice care has to offer.

Alison is mother to three grown up children, and when she’s not at work loves going on holidays, eating out, and socialising with family and friends. She’s also a dog mum to Cookie and Bruno!

FUN FACT: At the time of writing, Alison was under pressure to come up with a fun fact… we’re sure we’ll get one out of her at some point!

Charlotte Brown – Administrator

Last but not least in our line-up is Charlotte, our brand new administrator who’s done everything from sales work to administration, and even holiday repping out in Menorca!

She joins us from working as joint admin/reception for a chiropractor practise just down the road, a role which is similar to what she’ll be doing here at Derian House.

Charlotte has had personal experience of a hospice and its environment, so knows first hand the love and care that hospices like Derian House provide, and is looking forward to getting to know everyone and meeting our families.

When she’s not at work, Charlotte will probably be on holiday! She absolutely loves travelling the world, and also has family in York (where she’s originally from), so visits frequently.

FUN FACT: Charlotte used to work for a cruise company, so at one stage of her life enjoyed lots of freebies!

New Starter 0

It’s Children’s Hospice Week (June 19-25) and as well as all the fun and games going on around the hospice, we are using the week as a platform to launch our annual Impact Report.

The report (of which you can see here) shows how the North of England has one of the highest rates of children and young people living with a life-limiting condition in the UK – and that figure is rising.

It also details the care we gave families in 2022 – how we have looked after 404 children and their families and how they used our services.

It shows how we raised £5.5million, and how we spent it.

There’s also a page of facts and figures about our wonderful volunteers.

Have a look and feel proud of the difference you have made to our children and their families.

Derian News 0

Yo ho ho…

Jump aboard the ‘Derian Jewel’ and join our pirate crew.

Be a pirate and wear a stripy t-shirt for the day!

Please adhere to IPC regulations and wear short sleeves.

Derian News, Notices 0

MONDAY 19th

  • Welcome to Children’s Hospice Week, an annual weeklong celebration of the UK’s 54 children’s hospices. We’ll be doing things Derian style this week, so feel free to join us in our activities over the next five days.

TUESDAY 20th

  • Derian Playgroup for our toddlers and their families will be held in the Seaside Room from 10:30am – 12:00pm.

 

  • Happy Sports Day! Our annual event will be held on Smile Park this afternoon, so get your trainers on and try not to be *too* competitive!

 

  • The Strategic HR Subcommittee will take place in the Conference Room this morning.

 

  • Individual and group sessions of Music Therapy with Martha will take place in the Snug from 2:00pm.

WEDNESDAY 21st

  • Representatives from The Care Database are on site for a full day workshop.

 

  • Happy Music Day everyone – Fun music singalong with Rachel will take place in the Sensory Garden from 11:00am to celebrate.

 

  • We’ll be off on a trip out in the minibus to Rainbow Hub for an afternoon of Rebound Therapy with our children and young people.

THURSDAY 22nd

  • John Pilling (Family Counsellor)’s wellbeing session for all staff will take place in Derian at the Movies from 4:00pm. Take half an hour out of your day to relax your mind and feel at peace.

 

  • Ahoy thar! It’s Pirate Day today, so don’t forget t’ wear yer stripy t-shirts… or we’ll make ye walk the plank! Please adhere t’ IPC policies when choosin’ yer pirate outfits.

 

  • To celebrate Pirate Day, we’ll be doing arty pirate fun with Claire (Wellbeing & Play Worker) in the Messy PlayZone this morning.

FRIDAY 23rd

  • We’ll be enjoying computer Switch fun with Arron (Wellbeing & Play Worker) this morning in the Hub.

 

  • Our younger Lodgers will be enjoying a social weekend to remember with their friends in the Lodge tonight and tomorrow.

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 murray@derianhouse.co.ukbefore Thursday the week before.

Have a great week everyone!

What's On Weekly 0

Hello All,

 

Following a patient review this morning we would ask that the egress via the bedroom corridor be kept to an minimum over the next seven days. If you need to use the bedroom corridor can you please keep all noise/conservations to a minimum.

 

Thanking you all in advance

 

Kind regards,

Siobhán Allen

Trainee Adavnced Clinical Practitioner

PhD, RCN, RGN, PG Cert (Clinical Education)

Derian News, Notices 0
  • Thanks to Tina for talking to us about the valuable role of the play & well-being team at Derian. It was interesting to hear all that you do, and a great reminder of the depth of work the team carry out.
  • Andrew is off work currently, and Mick is leading the Retail team on an interim basis, in his absence.
  • The Derian Team Away day has now been rearranged for September 4th  at Brockholes – more details to follow nearer the time
  • Thank you for all your feedback on the proposal for redesign of the car park, we’re currently looking at the options based on your comments. which are largely in favour of keeping the seaside garden as it is. We are looking at other options as explored at the We Are Derian Forum.
  • Final approval for a 5% cost of living pay increase is anticipated to be received at next week’s Strategic HR meeting in which case this will be in your June’s salary.  We’re all set to press the green button!
  • We’ll soon be celebrating Children’s Hospice Week which is a time to recognise all the great work that goes on at Derian – watch out for any special activities that may be happening
  • To celebrate our 30th Anniversary we will be holding an Open Day on 20th October, as well as inviting your families along we’re looking for suggestions for an invited guest list so please let Jacquie know if there’s anyone you think would like to join us
  • And finally.. the Birdsong survey closes on 16th June, if you haven’t already done so please could you complete, we’d really value your feedback.
SMT Roundup 0

SUNDAY 11th

  • One of our largest third-party fundraising events, Supercar Showtime, will take place at Hoghton Tower today from 10:00am – 3:00pm. Please speak to Mick (Fundraising Manager) if you’d like some tickets.

MONDAY 12th

  • Our new Administrator, Charlotte Brown, will be joining the team here at the hospice today.

TUESDAY 13th

  • Derian Playgroup for our toddlers and their families will be held in the Seaside Room from 10:30am – 12:00pm.

 

  • The SMT will meet this morning in the Conference Room.

WEDNESDAY 14th

  • Our fun weekly singalong with Rachel (Music Teacher) will take place in the Snug from 11:00am.

THURSDAY 15th

  • The weekly ‘Huddle’ will take place in the Care Team office from 9:30am. A representative from each team should attend to give a brief update about what their department is up to.

FRIDAY 16th

  • Members of the team from Greenfingers Charity will be on site today to talk about the progress of the Sensory Garden.

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 murray@derianhouse.co.ukbefore Thursday the week before.

Have a great week everyone!

What's On Weekly 0

It is with regret that we announce that Steve Game is to step down from his role of Trustee at Derian House.

 

Steve has served on the board of trustees since 2018 and as co-chairperson of our Quality, Safety and Improvement sub-committee.

 

His relationship with Derian House began even earlier, having worked as a volunteer on reception since 2016.

 

Karen Swindley, Chair of the Board of Trustees, thanked Steve for his contribution.

 

She said: “Steve has been an outstanding and exemplary trustee who significantly contributed to us achieving our last CQC rating and I would personally like to place my sincere thanks to him on record.  We have been fortunate to have him on the board. I am sure you would all join me in wishing him the very best for the future.”

 

Steve said: “I have had an amazing time and met some amazing people, youngsters, staff and colleagues. My experience at Derian House has been truly life-changing.”

Derian News, Notices 0

In May, our children and young people basked in the early summer sun, six-year-old Oscar concluded his epic mountain challenge with a cheeky trip up Ben Nevis and £30,000 raised, and 150 of our supporters trekked through sea and sand on the Morecambe Bay Walk #MonthInAMinute 💚

Month in a Minute 0

SATURDAY 3rd

  • Derian families will be joining us at our new Stay & Play session, running from 1:00pm – 3:30pm in our Seaside Room.

MONDAY 5th

  • To celebrate Volunteers Week, we’re putting on an afternoon tea for our dedicated team of volunteers from 2:00pm – 4:00pm in the Seaside Room.

TUESDAY 6th

  • Derian Playgroup is back in action after the half term holidays, with our families attending in the Seaside Room from 10:30am – 12:00pm.

 

  • The initial meeting of the Family Engagement Strategy Task & Finish Group will be held this afternoon, involving two of our trustees Rick and Lisa.

WEDNESDAY 7th

  • Our fun weekly singalong with Rachel (Music Teacher) will take place in the Snug from 11:00am.

 

  • Bouygues will be visiting the hospice for the day as part of our ‘Make a Difference Days’. They’ll be lending a hand to Gareth in our hospice gardens.

THURSDAY 8th

  • Volunteer Forum will be held in the Seaside Room from 2:15pm, where all of our volunteers are welcome to share their ideas and help us shape the future of our volunteering service. If you want to come along, please email lees@derianhouse.co.uk.

 

  • The weekly ‘Huddle’ will take place in the Care Team office from 9:30am. A representative from each team should attend to give a brief update about what their department is up to.

 

  • Pets as Therapy dog Shuna will be visiting the hospice with her human Linda this morning.

 

  • John Pilling (Family Counsellor)’s weekly wellbeing session for all staff will be held in the Cinema from 4:00pm today.

FRIDAY 9th

  • Lynn (Director of Clinical Services) and Karen (CEO) are off site on an away day with Lancs & South Cumbria Hospices Together Group.

 

  • Derian families will connect with others at our coffee morning, held in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 12:00pm this morning.

SUNDAY 11th

  • One of our largest third-party fundraising events, Supercar Showtime, will take place at Hoghton Tower today from 10:00am – 3:00pm. Please speak to Mick (Fundraising Manager) if you’d like some tickets.

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 murray@derianhouse.co.ukbefore Thursday the week before.

Have a great week everyone!

What's On Weekly 0

Hi Everyone

 

As part of us all understanding what each role does at Derian House, Cameron is going to record some short films ………

 

”2 minutes in the life of a Nurse at Derian House” Fund Raiser, Counsellor,   etc. etc.  I want to do this for as many roles as possible.

 

Please let me or Cam know if you are willing to take part.

 

Thanks for your help with this.

 

Kim

 

Kim Owen
Head of People & Culture
Notices 0

As part of UK’s Volunteers Week 1st to 7th June, we will be celebrating our wonderful volunteers with an afternoon tea on Monday 5th June between 2-4pm.

 

All volunteers have been invited from the hospice and across all our retail sites to enjoy an afternoon with cake, tea and hopefully lots of laughter! All served by our staff as a little thank you for all they do for us.

 

Please do feel free to pop in and say hello!

 

We have asked them to be mindful of parking onsite due to limitations on spaces.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Frances Lees
Volunteer Services Coordinator
Notices 0

Good Afternoon

 

It is proposed that a 5% pay increase be awarded to all staff paid in June but backdated to 1 April.  This has been agreed in principle but needs to be signed off at the HR Strategic committee meeting on 20 June.

 

I will let you all know the outcome.

 

Regards

Kim Owen
Head of People & Culture

Derian News, New Starter 0

SATURDAY 27th

  • The Derian Mums Bereavement Group will meet this morning from 10:00am – 2:00pm.

 

  • Our Leigh shop will be opening on the high street today. Pop along for a nosy at our newest store!

 

  • Today’s the day of our longest-running fundraiser, the Morecambe Bay Walk! Our Fundraising Team will join over 200 supporters who will be walking 7 miles through sea and sand (and hopefully sun!) to raise vital funds for Derian House.

MONDAY 29th

  • Happy Half Term! Keep an eye on the ‘What’s on’ boards around the hospice to see what the Wellbeing & Play Team have planned this week.

 

  • Our teenage siblings from Chill Out & Chat will be off to Arcade Club in Blackpool for an afternoon of retro gaming.

TUESDAY 30th

  • We’ll be welcoming five families into the hospice for Family Day Care, a day filled with activities in the Seaside Room and on Smile Park.

WEDNESDAY 31st

  • Our fun weekly singalong with Rachel (Music Teacher) will take place in the Snug from 11:00am.

 

  • Karen (CEO) is visiting Claire House this morning.

 

  • There’ll be a GP meeting at 1:00pm here at the hospice.

THURSDAY 1st

  • Two of our trustees will be at Derian for a retail review meeting from 1:30pm.

 

  • The new weekly ‘Huddle’ will take place in the Care Team office from 9:30am. A representative from each team should attend to give a brief update about what their department is up to.

 

  • School’s Out! A group of our young lads will be here at the hospice for a day of fun with their friends.

 

  • Danni’s Club – for our younger siblings – are off to Escape Entertainment Chorley for a game of bowling and a round of mini golf.

 

  • Happy Volunteers Week to all of our volunteers who help make Derian House a tremendous success. Did you know that in 2022, our terrific troupe of volunteers enabled us to save a whopping £122,471.72 in wages? Simply incredible!

SATURDAY 3rd

  • Derian families will be joining us at our new Stay & Play session, running from 1:00pm – 3:30pm in our Seaside Room.

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 murray@derianhouse.co.ukbefore Thursday the week before.

Have a great week everyone!

What's On Weekly 0

It’s that time of year again when we ask you to complete Birdsong – our annual Employee Engagement survey.

 

The survey is an important way for us to hear about your experience in being part of Derian House. From your feedback we will know more about the areas where we are doing well and the areas we could improve on.

 

This is an opportunity for you to provide honest, anonymous feedback on all aspects of working at Derian House – both positive and negative.

 

The survey is managed independently by Hospice UK.

 

Please find the link to the survey which closes on Friday 16th June.

https://surveys.birdsong.co.uk/s3/hospicesurvey2023?charity=derianhouse&aud=sv

 

We will be keen to involve everyone in reflecting on the results, developing constructive conversations together and engaging in any action planning which may emerge from this process.

Please let me know if you  have any questions.

Thanks,

Kim Owen
Head of People & Culture
Derian News, Notices 0

FRIDAY 19th

  • Lynn (Director of Clinical Services) and Karen (CEO) will be joining others virtually in the Lancs and South Cumbria Hospice Together group this morning.

MONDAY 22nd

  • The Finance & Income Sub-Committee meeting will take place in the Conference Room this morning.

TUESDAY 23rd

  • Derian Playgroup for our 0-4 year olds will be held in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 11:30am this morning.

WEDNESDAY 24th

  • Our fun weekly singalong with Rachel (Music Teacher) will take place in the Snug from 11:00am.

 

  • Our Derian Dads will meet in the Seaside Room at Derian House from 7:30pm – 9:00pm.

 

  • We Are Derian will meet from 2:00pm in the Seaside Room. Anyone and everyone is welcome to attend.

THURSDAY 25th

  • Everyone’s favourite Shorthaired German Pointer, aka Shuna the Pets as Therapy dog, will visit the hospice with her human Linda this morning.

SATURDAY 27th

  • The Derian Mums Bereavement Group will meet this morning from 10:00am – 2:00pm.

 

  • Our brand new shop will be opening up in Leigh today.

 

  • Today’s the day of our longest-running fundraiser, the Morecambe Bay Walk! Our Fundraising Team will join over 200 supporters who will be walking 7 miles through sea and sand (and hopefully sun!) to raise vital funds for Derian House.

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 murray@derianhouse.co.ukbefore Thursday the week before.

Have a great week everyone!

What's On Weekly 0

Good afternoon,

Please be aware that the re-scheduled installation of the change to our phone systems shall be this Wednesday afternoon/evening. Please remain mindful that internal extension numbers will be changing. The updated phone list shall be uploaded onto the intranet tomorrow afternoon. Also available on the intranet shall be user guidance documents for the new handsets. Steve shall be available to provide demonstrations of the handsets on request.

 

Kind regards,

Luke Bateson
Head of Facilities and Infrastructure

Notices 0

Good afternoon,

As of Wednesday 17/05/23, there will be a change to the process of booking a fleet car. You will be required to email fleet@derianhouse.co.uk with the following information.

 

Driver Name:  
Location(s) and Detail of Travel:  
Date Required:  
Time Required (including expected length of time):  

 

From here, a booking shall be created on your behalf and you shall receive an email confirming the registration number of the vehicle that has been allocated to you. There will be a keypress in the admin office which shall hold all vehicle keys. The driver will collect the vehicle keys from reception.

 

Out of core reception hours (9am – 4pm), vehicle keys can be collected directly from the admin office keypress. There shall be a spare key for this keypress labelled and hung within the care team office keypress.

 

If an urgent booking has had to be made out of core hours, please ensure to email fleet@derianhouse.co.uk, including the registration of the vehicle taken, so that the core travel arrangements are still captured.

 

All bookings currently in pool vehicle calendars shall be honoured and transferred through to the new system.

 

Any queries please let me know

 

 

Kind regards,

Luke Bateson
Head of Facilities and Infrastructure

Notices 0

Good Afternoon,

 

We are holding a Team Day this Thursday for all the Care Team Staff which I appreciate may have an impact on parking availability within the hospice. Ann Marie and Mick have kindly managed to negotiate some extra parking at TCs Bar/ Rugby Club for the day. There is a gate which has a code access but we will ensure this is opened ready for staff. The team day commences at 0830 so the car park may or may not be full on your arrival. If it is full, please access the parking across the road. I have attached the picture Mick has kindly sent with the location on. It is the opposite side of the road to Derian next to the Chancery Fields Estate.

 

There may be option for you to work from home to reduce parking issues, however this would need to be agreed with your line manager.

 

For your info, this is where the parking is – TC Sports bar is on the left of the picture and we are on the right.

 

 

Thank you for you cooperation with this, it is much appreciated!

 

Any questions/ concerns, please feel free to ask.

 

Thanks Again,

 

 

Kind regards,

 

Ruth Islip

Hospice Manager

Derian News, Notices 0

“Being a nurse means to hold all your own tears and start drawing smiles on people’s faces.” ✨

Today, we’re celebrating the hard work of dedicated nurses everywhere, particularly those who have chosen a career here at Derian House Children’s Hospice 🏡

Thanks so much for everything you do – we appreciate it so much! 😍

#IND2023 | #InternationalNursesDay 💚

Notices 0

FRIDAY 12th

  • “Not all superheroes wear capes – some wear scrubs!” Happy International Nurses Day everyone.

 

  • The winner of our summer raffle will be announced today, with one lucky winner taking home £10,000!

SUNDAY 14th

  • The annual Forget-Me-Not service for our bereaved families will take place in the marquee on the pony field this afternoon.

MONDAY 15th

  • Dave Kay and Lisa Barlow will be visiting from Trinity/Brian House Hospice today.

 

  • Say hello to our new starters! Tanya Marlow (Clinical Practice Educator) and Alison Butler (Registered Nurse) join our team today.

TUESDAY 16th

  • The SMT will meet this morning in the Conference Room.

 

  • Derian Playgroup for our 0-4 year olds will be held in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 11:30am this morning.

WEDNESDAY 17th

  • Our fun weekly singalong with Rachel (Music Teacher) will take place in the Snug from 11:00am.

 

  • Karen (CEO) will be visiting Forget Me Not Hospice today.

FRIDAY 19th

  • Lynn (Director of Clinical Services) and Karen (CEO) will be joining others virtually in the Lancs and South Cumbria Hospice Together group this morning.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

  • We’ve got limited spaces left for our Morecambe Bay Walk on Saturday 27th Join us for a day filled with sea and sand, and walk the Bay with family and friends for Derian House’s longest-running fundraising event.

 

  • 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 murray@derianhouse.co.ukbefore Thursday the week before.

Have a great week everyone!

What's On Weekly 0

FRIDAY 5th

  • Coffee Morning for our Derian families will take place in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 12:00pm, with a wreath-making session led by Riziah’s mummy and Blossom & Bloom Florist owner, Naomi.

 

  • Warren Heppolette (Chief Officer for Strategy and Innovation @ NHS) will be visiting the hospice with Karen (CEO) and Lynn (Director of Clinical Services).

 

  • Our Coronation celebrations are kicking off with red, white and blue-themed t-shirts for everyone working and volunteering from today until Monday. Please adhere to IPC policies when choosing your royal outfits.

SATURDAY 6th

  • It’s Coronation Day! We’ll be celebrating the Derian way, with plenty of regal and patriotic activities across the hospice.

TUESDAY 9th

  • SIRO and Caldicott Guardian training is taking place in the Conference Room all day today. This will involve a number of internal staff – and also some visitors from other hospices.

 

  • Derian Playgroup for our 0-4 year olds will be held in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 11:30am this morning.

WEDNESDAY 10th

  • Our fun weekly singalong with Rachel (Music Teacher) will take place in the Snug from 11:00am.

THURSDAY 11th

  • Pets as Therapy pooch Shuna will be at the hospice with her human Linda for pet therapy this morning.

 

  • Operational Health & Safety meeting will be held in the Conference Room this afternoon.

FRIDAY 12th

  • The winner of our summer raffle will be announced today, with one lucky winner taking home £10,000!

SUNDAY 14th

  • The annual Forget-Me-Not service for our bereaved families will take place in the marquee on the pony field this afternoon.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

  • We’ve got limited spaces left for our Morecambe Bay Walk on Saturday 27th Join us for a day filled with sea and sand, and walk the Bay with family and friends for Derian House’s longest-running fundraising event.

 

  • 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 murray@derianhouse.co.ukbefore Thursday the week before.

Have a great week everyone!

What's On Weekly 0

In April, we opened up our gardens once again to give the local community an insight into life at Derian House, super sibling James walked out with Liverpool FC captain Virgil van Dijk at their game against Tottenham Hotspur, and we filled the Easter holidays with plenty of activities for all of our families to enjoy #MonthInAMinute 💚

Month in a Minute 0

Hello Team Derian

 

I just wanted to share some news about planned changes that will be happening within the leadership of our senior care team at the hospice over the next few months.

 

Lynn Grayson, our Director of Clinical Services, will be retiring next May, 2024, after 38 years of service in children’s nursing.

 

Our trustees and I are keen for Lynn to have a thorough handover period with her successor, to ensure a seamless transition and the continuation of outstanding care, and so we will be starting the recruitment process in the coming weeks.

 

Lynn will gradually hand over the day-to-day elements of her role, giving her the time to concentrate on ensuring our position as an equal partner with NHS services as we move forward in the provision of specialist palliative care for the region.

 

Lynn will also be a key support for me, leading strategically our funding negotiations with the NHS and continuing to represent Derian as Chair and Clinical Lead for the Lancashire and South Cumbria Children’s and Young People’s Palliative and End of Life Care Network.

 

We still have Lynn for more than a year yet, which gives us plenty of time to arrange lots of celebrations when the time comes.

 

 

 

Best wishes

 

Karen

 

Karen Edwards OBE
Chief Executive Officer

Derian News, Notices 0

Hi Team Derian, I hope that you are all well.

 

A huge Thank You to everyone who has taken the time to meet with either myself or Kim over the last few weeks/months.  Staff engagement is the heart of providing our excellent services and care, and we have welcomed the opportunity to get to know you and understand your thoughts and views.

 

I hope that you feel that you have been listened to.  But more than that I hope that you have felt heard.  We have captured everything that you have told us, and have done so confidentially.  It is important that you know that you can trust the new HR lead and your new CEO.

 

We have briefed the Trustees and SMT regarding the key outcomes from the feedback and are now sharing them directly with you.  This is a summary of the key themes that came up during the discussion, and more importantly what we are doing to improve things.  There will be some quick wins – which is great – but other things may take some time so please bear with us.

 

Remember, this is a summary and we have tried to group feedback under key themes.

 

 

You Said – KEY THEMES We are Doing
   
There is a lack of clarity and understanding around Leadership, SMT, structure, roles and responsibilities, and the impact of this. We will review the structure, roles and responsibilities and ensure this is fit for purpose for both our current and future delivery, and communicate fully.
Clarity and communication is needed about DHs strategy and plans, and what we are planning to do in the future. We will provide a 1 page summary of our current plans, and will engage with all staff through a consultation process about what our next strategic plan should include.
Communication across teams could be improved We are reviewing current communication and engagement methods and will produce a plan to improve.  It is important everyone recognise that good communication is everyone’s job.
A lack of trust across teams Trust us, this will change as will build on the culture and values, but we need you to engage and support one another.  We will produce a plan to develop relationships and trust.
Inconsistency in management processes and decision making across teams We will review our people management processes and our workforce plan, and we will ask you for your input into this.  We will provide training for all staff with supervisory roles on managing people the “Derian Way”.
A disconnect between Vinten Place Staff & Hospice Staff We will develop a one team approach, starting with an away day and possible opportunities for job shadowing.  We will work towards a greater understanding of the different roles across the whole organisation and how equally important every role is.
Unequal contractual and non-contractual benefits packages across roles and teams A full review of all contractual and non-contractual benefits across all roles is taking place and where we think we should make changes we will produce recommendations.  We will share these recommendations with you.
Improved / more Clinical Supervision required and staff counselling services This is being actioned now.
Improved Car Parking A review of the parking and options for additional parking is currently taking place.  Once we have costed plans we will consult with staff.
More robust debriefs after a difficult case/death of a child This process will be reviewed immediately.

 

 

I am extremely keen to bring together as many staff and our trustees for a Derian House Away Day, which we hope will take place in June or early July.  We are looking at how we can ensure that as many staff as possible can attend.

 

This will be off site and will be externally facilitated, and we will explore:

 

  • Employee Engagement – listening and capturing more views and ideas on the current services we provide, are we meeting needs ?
  • Establishing a baseline for next steps/strategic planning – where do we want Derian to be in 1, 3, 5 years, time ?
  • The Derian Experience – how do we make Derian House a great place to work for everyone ?

 

This will be a really productive day and the start of planning for the future, and you all have a vital role to play in that, therefore anyone that can’t attend will be asked to feed in through other methods so that we capture your views.

 

And finally, just as a reminder, the next We Are Derian meeting is planned for the 24th May, and I look forward to seeing you there, it was record breaking attendance last time, and so I am expecting the same !! J

 

If you have any questions or feedback about the process so far, the feedback and actions, or any other points please do let me know.

 

Team Managers/Leaders, please can you ensure that staff who may not access email regularly have sight of this email.

 

Thanks everyone – and keep up the amazing work that you are all doing !

 

 

Best wishes

 

Karen

 

Karen Edwards OBE
Chief Executive Officer

CEO Message 0

Good Morning,

 

Throughout the weekend of the King’s Coronation – Friday 5th May until Monday 8th May 2023 – we would love it if you could dress in red, white and blue t- shirts to celebrate the occasion. We will have lots of coronation themed activities taking place with the children and young people.

I kindly remind you to follow IPC.

Kind regards,

Katie McNally
Wellbeing and Play Team Leader

Derian News, Notices 0

MONDAY 1st

  • Mayday! Mayday! Today and tomorrow is the final chance for our supporters to enter our summer raffle, where one lucky winner will receive £10,000. You can’t enter, but we thought we’d let you know anyway!

TUESDAY 2nd

  • Some of our most generous donors have been invited to Derian House this afternoon for a tour of the hospice and afternoon tea with Karen (CEO).

WEDNESDAY 3rd

  • Our fun weekly singalong with Rachel (Music Teacher) will take place in the Snug from 11:00am.

 

  • Grandparents group, Cornerstones, will be held in the Seaside Room this morning.

 

  • Trustees from LifeNoW will be visiting the hospice this morning.

 

  • Derian House GPs meeting will take place over lunch on Teams.

THURSDAY 4th

  • The Quality, Safety & Improvement Sub-Committee will be held this afternoon in the Conference Room. Say hello to our new trustees if you see them!

 

  • John (Family Counsellor)’s fortnightly wellbeing session for all staff will be held in the Cinema from 4:00pm. Everyone is welcome.

FRIDAY 5th

  • Coffee Morning for our Derian families will take place in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 12:00pm.

 

  • Warren Heppolette (Chief Officer for Strategy and Innovation @ NHS) will be visiting the hospice with Karen (CEO) and Lynn (Director of Clinical Services).

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 murray@derianhouse.co.ukbefore Thursday the week before.

Have a great week everyone!

What's On Weekly 0

Good afternoon,

Please be aware that changes to the phone systems as detailed in my previous email shall not be going ahead due to issues we have experienced when configuring server settings. I shall provide you all with confirmation of the rescheduled installation date when the systems are ready to go live.

 

Kind regards,

Luke Bateson
Head of Facilities and Infrastructure

Derian News, Notices 0
What a bloomin’ marvellous time we had at #FLOWERFEST on Sunday, as we threw open our garden gates once again to allow Derian House families and supporters the chance to have a glance at the phenomenal facilities we have here at the hospice 🤩
 
From bubble art to floral headbands, and Morris dancing to glitter art, it was certainly a day to remember as we celebrated our first National Garden Scheme event of the year ✨
Events like these are vital in not raising just money, but awareness for our charity within the local community.
For many families and future referrals, it can be a stepping stone in letting them get a warm and welcoming feel of Derian House, and the feedback we’ve had has been wonderful.
For our supporters, it’s a chance for them to see just exactly what their money is being spent on, and to discover for themselves what a truly heart-warming place their local children’s hospice is.
 
Watch on for a roundup of all the action below, and jot down Sunday 13th August into your diaries ready for Open Gardens: Heroes… 🦸
Derian News, Notices 0

MONDAY 24th

  • Karen (CEO) is visiting members of the senior team at Trinity/Brian House.

TUESDAY 25th

  • Playgroup for our Derian toddlers will be held in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 12:00pm.

WEDNESDAY 26th

  • Our fun weekly singalong with Rachel (Music Teacher) will take place in the Snug from 11:00am.

 

  • The interviews for the role of Head of Quality, Governance & Compliance will take place at Derian House today.

 

  • Our Derian Dads will meet this evening in the Seaside Room from 7:30pm.

 

  • The Derian Voices will meet at their weekly singing session from 12:00pm – 1:00pm in the Seaside Room. Join us for an hour of vocal harmony, no matter your singing ability!

THURSDAY 27th

  • Our resident Pets as Therapy pooch, Shuna, will be visiting the hospice with her human, Linda, for pet therapy snuggles.

 

  • The new phone wireless phone system will go live today. If there’s any questions, please speak with Steve (IT).

FRIDAY 28th

  • Karen (CEO) is joining with other CEOs in a (virtual) meeting of the Lancs & South Cumbria Hospices Together group.

 

  • Kirsty (Clinical Education Manager) and Lisa (Assistant Practitioner) will be attending the Student Nursing Times Awards ceremony at JQ Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel this afternoon, where we’re nominated for the ‘Student Placement of the Year: Community’ award. Good luck!

SATURDAY 29th

  • Derian Mums Bereavement Group will be held in the Seaside Room from 10:00am this morning.

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 murray@derianhouse.co.ukbefore Thursday the week before.

Have a great week everyone!

What's On Weekly 0

Hi everyone,

Here are the key points from yesterday’s Senior Management Team Meeting. Any questions as always please ask!

 

  • Karen gave an overview of the last 3 months and how impressed she is at the outstanding care she has seen across the organisation – well done everyone.
  • Karen and Kim have spent a lot of time listening to people as part of understanding some of the themes raised in the staff temperature check – thank you all for your time and Kim will feed back an action plan in due course.
  • Don’t forget that this year’s first Open Gardens event takes place at the hospice this Sunday from 10am. It’s a great opportunity to invite your friends and family in to see our amazing hospice (tickets £3 for adults and free for children, available on the door).
  • Our superstar fundraiser, six-year-old Oscar has hit his target of £29,000 in climbing 10 of the UK’s highest mountains – well done Oscar!
  • Our Spring fundraising campaign telling the story of little Gaby and her family will be launched in May and will be sent to 40,000 donors.
  • A new pool car booking process is to be launched – watch out for the new process. We hope that it will improve access to cars and this will not affect any current bookings.
  • Our new phone system will go live in Wednesday.
  • We have been working on our hospice strategy – an update will be coming soon.
  • Our volunteers on Reception are available to help with any basic admin tasks. Please let Fran know if you have any work they could help with.

 

It was my last SMT meeting at Derian House – thank you to everyone for continuing to provide Outstanding care to our amazing families, thank you for everything you do!

 

Have a good week!

 

Kind regards,

Vanessa Spinks
Head of Governance and Compliance

SMT Roundup 0

Hello,

Paper P60s have been generated by Moorepay for all staff who joined us before we changed over to electronic payslips.

If you have not received a paper copy of your P60 from your line manager then you can access this on your Moorepay account under payslips/P60/2022

If you have problems accessing your Moorepay account then please try the forgotten password link in the first instance.  (your user name is your Derian email address)  Failing that please email Janet (janet.freeman@derianhouse.co.uk).

Link for Moorepay is:

https://www.login.moorepay.co.uk/moorepay

 

thanks

Kind regards,

Helen Holmes
HR Advisor

Derian News, Notices 0

MONDAY 17th

  • Say ‘hello’ to our new Family Support Worker, Amy Williamson, who joins the team today.

TUESDAY 18th

  • Playgroup for our Derian toddlers will be held in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 12:00pm.

 

  • Trustees old and new have a meet and greet meeting this morning, followed by the Board Meeting this afternoon.

WEDNESDAY 19th

  • Our fun weekly singalong with Rachel (Music Teacher) will take place in the Snug from 11:00am.

 

  • The SMT will meet this morning for their bimonthly meeting in the Conference Room.

 

  • Operational Clinical Governance will be held this afternoon in the Conference Room.

 

  • Our Bereaved Dads will meet this evening in the Seaside Room from 7:00pm.

 

  • The Derian Voices will meet at their weekly singing session from 12:00pm – 1:00pm in the Seaside Room. Join us for an hour of vocal harmony, no matter your singing ability!

THURSDAY 20th

  • Our resident Pets as Therapy pooch, Shuna, will be visiting the hospice with her human, Linda, for pet therapy snuggles.

 

  • There’ll be a Forget-me-not meeting this morning to push forward with this year’s event.

 

  • John (Family Counsellor)’s fortnightly wellbeing session for all staff will be held in the Cinema this afternoon from 4:00pm.

FRIDAY 21st

  • Our siblings club, Chill Out & Chat, will meet in the Cinema for a Movie Night from 6:30pm – 9:00pm tonight.

SATURDAY 22nd

  • Danni’s Club, for our younger siblings, will meet in the Seaside Room from 1:30pm – 4:00pm this afternoon.

SUNDAY 23rd

  • Who’s joining us at #FLOWERFEST? Our first Open Gardens event of the year, in association with the National Garden Scheme, will take place in the hospice grounds from 10:00am – 4:00pm. There’ll be plenty for all the family to enjoy, with our supporters coming to explore the sights, smells and sounds of Derian House’s gardens alongside a whole host of activities.

 

  • Happy St. George’s Day everyone!

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 murray@derianhouse.co.ukbefore Thursday the week before.

Have a great week everyone!

What's On Weekly 0

0 calories, 💯% care ✨

Will you help us celebrate Derian’s 30th birthday and buy a virtual slice of birthday cake for just a £1 donation? 🍰

Adding a slice next time you’re shopping in any six of our stores will help us to continue to care for more than 400 babies, children and young people from across the North West 💚

A huge thanks to all of our shop teams who’ve collectively raised almost £600 in virtual cake in just one month – and a special shoutout to Chorley, who’ve raised the most at £160.

Derian News, Notices 0

It’s time to say hello to four new faces who have joined us here at the hospice over the last couple of months. Some of you may have already met them, but here’s a delve deeper into who they are and what they do!

Colin Taylor – Head of Finance

The brand new leader of our Finance Office is Colin, who has an impressive 20 years of not-for-profit experience under his belt. He joins us at Derian House after a three and a half year stint at Albany Academy in Chorley.

Although he wasn’t actively searching for a new role, Leyland-based Colin had always been aware of the charity – even fundraising for us back in 2001 by taking on the Great North Run – and jumped at the opportunity to join the team when the Head of Finance role came up.

Since February, Colin has settled in nicely and has enjoyed making a positive contribution to the prolific work of Derian House alongside his colleagues in Finance.

Outside of work, he enjoys going to the gym, hiking in the lakes, and playing racketball. He’s also a husband and proud dad to two teenage daughters, and even has a black belt in karate!

FUN FACT: Colin recently attended musical theatre star and opera singer Alfie Boe OBE’s brother’s wedding, who he was a friend of at the Academy.

Kim Owen – Head of People & Culture

Derian’s new Head of People & Culture, Kim, joins us after an impressive 30 years at construction giant Komatsu, where she worked in a HR capacity. Following that, during her 6-month stint at fellow Lancashire charity Bolton Lads and Girls Club, Kim saw the job crop up here at the hospice and just had to go for it!

After three decades working at the same company, Kim threw caution to the wind and broadened her horizons by taking on a role in the charity sector… something which she can’t believe she didn’t do sooner.

Kim had a friend of a friend who used to use Derian’s services, so our newest addition to Vinten Place was already aware of the incredible care and support that we provide, and wanted to be a part of it. She’s already been doing the rounds and letting her face be known to everyone over the last few weeks, and is looking forward to having a focus on people in general and getting the best out of all our teams at Derian House.

When she’s not at work, Kim is wife to David, mum to Abigail and Rebecca, and dog mum to Daisy the cockapoo. She loves going to the theatre, eating out, going on holiday, and walking in the Lake District.

FUN FACT: Kim actually crossed the finish line at the London 2012 Olympic Stadium before Usain Bolt did, after winning a National Lottery competition to run 5 miles around the track with her family and friends watching on!

Ruth Ellicott – Registered Nurse

Fresh off the back of her recent move back to England after a couple of years in County Cavan, our newest nurse Ruth is looking forward to working within a team again after a stint of lone working.

Over in Ireland, Ruth cared for a little girl on a one-to-one basis in the family home, and previously worked at Manchester Children’s Hospital. At Derian House, she’s excited about learning lots of new skills and taking on a more holistic approach to palliative care surrounded by fantastic facilities.

When she’s not nursing, Ruth is busy settling back into life in Lancashire with her husband and three children. She loves getting fit, cooking, and is currently teaching her children how to ride their bikes!

FUN FACT: In her previous role at Manchester Children’s Hospital, the chairman paid for Ruth and some of her colleagues to do a stint of nursing for a charity he owned over in Uganda.

Kev Urdhin – Advanced Clinical Practitioner

The last in our line-up is Kev, Derian’s newest Advanced Clinical Practitioner, who’s joined the ever-growing team after a varied career which saw him work in adults nursing within the NHS for 26 years until he ‘accidentally’ stumbled upon Alder Hey Children’s Hospital back in 1996, where he fell in love with children’s nursing.

Since then, he’s held up many roles in paediatric and oncology nursing ranging from community, walk-in centres, university teaching, and hospitals. 16 years ago, Kev qualified as an ACP, and went back to Alder Hey where he’s spent the last 9 years of his working life.

Back in November, Kev came for a tour of Derian House after thinking he needed to make a positive career change, and immediately got a good vibe from the people, the work we do here, and the passion for Derian in general.

“When you’ve been somewhere for such a long time, you become fearful of change”, Kev said. He knew he didn’t want to go back to the NHS, and could see himself starting in a new role here at the hospice where he could become a part of new and exciting changes, and take on a brand new challenge.

All he’s ever wanted to do is make every family’s journey ‘good’, and make their experience of palliative care better.

Outside of work, Kev is a season ticket holder at Liverpool FC, and plays football twice a week. He’s got two daughters – Jasmine and India – and loves spending time with them and his grandchildren.

FUN FACT: Kev got absolutely annihilated by The Beast on ITV’s The Chase, and years later appeared on BBC’s Pointless with a colleague who’d previously berated him for his previous TV failure! He’s hoping to complete his trilogy of daytime TV quiz shows to celebrate his 50th birthday later this year… watch this space!

New Starter 0

Hey all, hope you had a good Easter?

 

Chorley Theatre have kindly donated 10 x tickets for staff to see comedian Justin Moorhouse at Chorley Theatre on Sunday the 23rd of April at 8pm. We will offer them on a solo first come first served basis, however if there is a huge request for them we will instead pick names from a hat (please note, this will be done in line with all Gambling Commission guidelines.. haha). If you are interested please let me know by 9am on Friday the 14th of April. We will then let people know if they have been successful by the following Monday. J

 

Kind regards,

 

Mick Croskery
Fundraising Manager

Income, Communications & Marketing

Derian News, Notices 0

Have you ever fancied ticking something off your bucket list?! Something adrenaline fuelled and daring??

 

Well look no further!

 

We have a FLASH OFFER for our Dare for Derian event in July where you can now take part in a 160ft bungee jump or 160ft abseil for just £100!! (you can either pay in full or fundraise via JustGiving)

 

We have limited places available so if you are interested…follow the links below/pop over to Vinten and come to see myself or Ellie.

 

TO REGISTER FOR ABSEIL….https://www.derianhouse.co.uk/events/dare-for-derian-abseil/

TO REGISTER FOR BUNGEE….https://www.derianhouse.co.uk/events/dare-for-derian-bungee-jump/

 

If you do have any questions or would like more information then please do not hesitate to come chat to us about it. We are offering this FLASH OFFER to everyone here at Derian first, as it would be brilliant to have some of our teams takes part J but if you do have any friends or families who are dare devils just like yourselves, then get them on board too!

 

Have a lovely day and speak soon!

 

Kind regards,

 

Kerry Pritchard & Ellie Smith

Community Fundraisers

Income, Communications & Marketing

Derian News, Notices 0