Goodbye and thanks for all the good times…

As I leave my role as CEO of Irish Hospice Foundation, I am reflecting on the past 11 years of my tenure. Excuse the quality of some of the photos previous memories - some were captured on poor phone cameras!

IHF was founded by Dr. Mary Redmond who was a lawyer at Arthur Cox, as well as, being a founder of two charities, an amazing artist and a respected academic and writer. I thought of Mary many times over my 11 years as CEO of Irish Hospice foundation. I've often wondered if what I was doing, was in line with her vision - to extend the principles and practices of Hospice care throughout Ireland, so that everyone gets the care and support they need. So much has changed over the last 11 years and I've been proud to be part of that story.?

A small selection of highlights include;?

In 2011 specialist palliative care services were only beginning to admit non-cancer patients. Today they account for approximately 30% of all specialist palliative care cases, demonstrating the palliative care for all is now a reality.?

- Our national policy was by then 10 years old and throughout my tenure we advocated for a new updated policy.?This process is now being led by Prof Karen Ryan in the Department of Health.

-????????It's not just me noting developments. A recent review of progress Review of the implementation of the report of the 2001 National Advisory Committee on Palliative Care (Dept of Health, 2021) noted that progress was made across all core areas, such as the expansion of and access to specialist palliative care services, an increased awareness of palliative care, and the expansion of multidisciplinary teams, particularly specialist care teams. But there are enduring gaps, such as the absence of an in-patient unit in the Midlands and the forthcoming policy should address these.

-????????As a response to a need to provide care in the home for patients with non-cancer illness, IHF began delivering Nurses for Night Care, in partnership with Irish Cancer Society in 2007. In 2021, 921 people were provided with Nurses for Night Care across all counties with 2,763 nights of support provided overall. Costs for this vital service has risen from a base of €40,000 in 2007, to over €1m annually. I was very proud to secure an annual 50% funding from HSE to underpin this growing service.

-????????The evolution and fast paced development of our bereavement services is a joy to watch. In Covid-19 we set up (with HSE), the National Bereavement Support Line, to be there for those who need a listening ear in their time of grief. Over 1,300 calls were answered last year alone.?The launch of our service builds on 35 years of our work to improve bereavement care in Ireland. We were proud to advocate for, and then support HSE, in the development of a national bereavement campaign recently.

-????????The Hospice friendly Hospitals program has evolved from being a philanthropically funded project of IHF to becoming a mainstream program within HSE. Significant collaborative work with HSE throughout 2021 culminated in the appointment of a National End-of-life Care Lead within HSE to drive this programme.?There is now a HSE commitment for 22 End-of-Life Co-coordinators to work in acute hospital across Ireland.?

-????????The Design & Dignity programme, started in 2011, aims to transform the way hospital spaces are designed for patients, their families and staff in relation to end of life.?Last year saw several projects completed and a commitment for phase 5 funding secured. To date, 47 projects have secured funding.

-????????Ireland now has a fully funded Children’s Palliative Care Service. In 2011 there was only one outreach nurse and a small service in Crumlin Children's Hospital. 2021 saw the number of children's outreach nurses rise to 22, a commitment for a third consultant with special interest in palliative care to be appointed, and, a commitment to implement a recent internationally authored report on governance of children’s palliative care in Ireland. Over time, IHF has supported thinking on how to establish a national prevalence study of children with life limiting illness, most recently supporting Trinity College Dublin to complete an initial scoping study on the feasibility of this national prevalence study. This will provide an evidence base for the next phase of development in children’s palliative care.

-????????Our vision is that wherever people are cared for, their care at end of life meets their need.?Nursing homes were ravaged by the experience of Covid-19 and need our focus now, more than ever.?In 2021, based on our work over 8 years in nursing homes, we submitted and were successful in securing national commitment for a new national nursing home programme (to be called Caru) to improve end-of-life and bereavement care in nursing homes, in partnership with HSE and AIIHPC. This new flagship programme will run for the next 5 years.

-????????Think Ahead, which started as a pilot project in 2011 was significantly revised in 2021 to make it more reader friendly and engaging.?The hub to support the programme was launched in late 2021 and a new user friendly version will be released in September. Over 100,000 forms are already in circulation.

-????????IHF has always been an organisation inspired by Arts and Creativity – indeed, it is often through the medium of creative arts that we are able to make meaning of life’s events, including loss. Our creative arts programme, supported by Creative Ireland saw us deliver 30+ seeds projects and 7 compassionate culture networks. We also commissioned, “Reflections”, in partnership with Poetry Ireland which is a book of interviews, by Roisin Ingle, of those in frontline services and working in dying, death and bereavement during the pandemic. ?This built on previous successful book projects over the past 11 years – The Gathering book, Sons and Fathers and the Patrick Guilbauld cookbook amongst others.

-????????IHF is renowned for our training on bereavement and loss, reaching thousands each year. These courses extend to every corner of Ireland and many have remained online to ensure wide reach. ?

-????????We also have hosted a biannual Forum on End of life – the brainchild of the Council of the Forum on End of Life (led by the amazing Supreme Court Justice Catherine McGuiness). To date, we have held 7 Forums on End of life, each one stimulating a rich conversation on dying, death and bereavement in Ireland.

-????????As an advocacy body, every year, we continue to raise awareness of dying, death and bereavement by highlighting and responding to issues relating to acute hospitals, dying without family visitation (still an issue post Covid-19), supporting advanced care directives, residential care settings and the impact of the pandemic on grief. Last year, we also spoke about the lack of an inclusive and informed debate on the issue of Assisted Dying, especially as there was a proposed bill to introduce Assisted dying to Ireland.?At my leaving do last week (hosted by Arthur Cox) Minister Simon Harris said I was a force to be reckoned with – I took that as a compliment!!

I am proud to have been part of those advances – whether leading them, collaborating in them, or driving everyone round the bend about them!

None of this work is possible without the input and dedication of our staff. As I leave, I am very proud of the achievements of our team who diligently maintain the ethos and mission of Irish Hospice Foundation. I am immensely proud to have worked with so many great people, full of passion and drive, without whom the organisation couldn’t deliver all it does. ?I wish IHF the very best - I will be?watching with pride on how IHF shapes a better and more supportive country for everyone who experiences dying, death, loss and grief.

As I leave the organisation, I was also conscious that over my tenure I was building on the work of all those who have worked within IHF. I now hand the baton to my successor and thank the staff of IHF – both past and present.

?I want to thank all these who fund IHF – 76% of our funding comes from the public and I thank our fundraising team who diligently oversee our fundraising income, but especially thank all our individual, corporate and philanthropic donors who believe in our work.?We now secure 24% of our funding from our state partners for our health and bereavement care programmes– and I thank and acknowledge these state funders who have supported IHF.

Finally, my appreciation goes to a great team of volunteers who ‘step up to the plate’ continuously to support myself and our team in IHF - my Chair Jean Callanan (and previously Michael O’Reilly and Jean McKiernan) ?and the IHF Board of Directors.?Throughout my tenure, I have been fortunate to have been supported by fantastic Board Chairs members who contribute to the organisation, generously donating their expertise and time. Thank you all.

As I round off my refection’s. I look back to Mary Redmond. I hope Mary, I did you proud.

Sharon Foley

CEO

Irish Hospice Foundation