26/10/23

ACCORDian Autumn Winter 2023

Lets make a difference TOGETHER!

Included in this issue:

Welcome to the ACCORDian

Embracing change and development to meet the ever-changing needs of our service users. 

Palliative care should be easily accessible to the needs, preferences and values of people, their families and carers. The care provided should be available to all people living with an active, progressive, advanced disease, regardless of their diagnosis. Through effective communication, shared decision-making and personal autonomy at ACCORD we deliver a person and family­centred approach to all care needs. This approach affirms life while recognising that dying is an inevitable part of said life. Therefore our overall aim is to ensure individualised care is provided to support the quality of living at the right time, in the right place, by the right people. 

'The setvice was there for us just at the right time, when we needed it most. They were a life saver' 

Over the past 40 years ACCORD Hospice has embraced change, evolved services and developed highly educated staff to meet these goals. The diversity, drive and commitment of our workforce has developed and sustained 10 clinical services and 11 non-clinical services, which complement each other to achieve positive outcomes. The clinical services are separated into the 'Inpatient Unit' and 'Community Orientated Services'. 

The story of our Inpatient Unit over the past year is that Charge Nurse Alison Auld and her team, despite many obstacles have worked tirelessly to maintain safe levels of staff each day and continue to deliver the highest standard of care expected. The service has run at 1000/4 throughout this period, supporting 41 patients and their loved ones since the turn of the year with a 95% occupancy rate. 

'We were at our lowest, struggling to continue to keep dad at home, his last wish. The ACCORD team came in and changed everything. We were able to become daughters again' 

Community Orientated Services this year have focused on consolidating the workforce into one cohesive team, where excellent cross-service communication has resulted in timely access to all services required to meet the patients' need's at that time. The newest addition to this service is ACCORD@Home which delivers a holistic approach to care in the patient's preferred place of care and death. 

None of this care would be achieved without the hard work and decicalion of our non-clinical teams- Administralion, Housekeeping, catering, Income Generation and our Volunteers. Thank you all. 

'Thank you for the wonderful care my mum received. Each and every member of the staff are so caring and went above and beyond anything we could have wished for'