National Gardens Scheme Helps To Grow A World-Class Workforce In Local Hospices

The National Gardens Scheme has helped to grow a world-class workforce in hospices across the country through a partnership with Help the Hospices, the UK charity for hospice care.

During the past year, more than 650 nurses, doctors and professionals working in local hospices have improved their ability to provide the best possible care to people facing the end of life, thanks to training courses funded by the National Gardens Scheme.

Help the Hospices has received £1.8 million from the National Gardens Scheme since 1997. A large part of the funds has been used to increase the skills and expertise of staff in local hospices through its professional development grant programme, helping frontline hospice staff to deliver high quality care to patients and their friends and family.

Over the year ahead, funds from the National Gardens Scheme will also enable Help the Hospices to move forward with the establishing a Care Services Support Team. The team will be a dynamic group of clinicians brought together to support front-line hospice staff and consider the national development of hospice care in the future; for example, extending care beyond cancer to those with mental health problems.

David Praill, chief executive of Help the Hospices, said:

“Last year, the National Gardens Scheme donated £450,000 to Help the Hospices, which has directly helped hospices to provide the highest quality of care to adults and children with life-limiting and terminal illnesses. The NGS donation helped to develop the skills and expertise of hundreds of hospice nurses, doctors and professionals through training and education courses.

“With an ageing population, more people will be dying with complex health and social care needs, increasing the demand for hospice care. It is vital that the hospice workforce, particularly nurses who provide frontline care and support, are experts in their field and can deliver world-class care that meets the needs of the patient and their friends and family.”

Help the Hospices champions and supports hospice care, working with more than 200 local hospices so that more seriously ill people and their families can live well.

The NGS is a volunteer based organisation, with 350 or so volunteers and a small head office staff, giving away over £2.6 million each year to nursing, caring and gardening charities.

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