Hospice of the Valleys marks 21 years of care

Hospice of the Valleys has come a long way since it began with just one doctor and one nurse in 1991.

By the following year it had made 1,935 home visits and in 2001 it made 4,741 home visits.

Last year the hospice cared for 619 patients, it had 329 new patient referrals and 11,667 face-to-face contacts were made by nurses and social workers.

Now, the hospice has 25 staff working from its Tredegar base and treats more than 500 patients a year who are suffering from illnesses including cancer or motor neurone disease and costs almost £1 million a year to run.

It also plans to open a £2 million hospice centre on the site of the former Ebbw Vale steelworks to rehome its offices and clinics.

Plans have been submitted to Blaenau Gwent council and the Welsh Government and it is awaiting replies.

The hospice’s clinical director, Helen Rees, said: “Just as a child grows from infancy to adulthood, Hospice of the Valleys has grown from a team of two people, inspired and driven by their vision of specialist palliative care for the people of Blaenau Gwent, to a team of 25 staff and 130 volunteers, all of whom continue to carry forward the dedication and vision of those early years.”

The hospice has organised a series of events to mark the anniversary including golf days, afternoon teas, a ceremony in July for people who have lost loved ones and a masked ball in November.

For more information about these, call 01495 717277.

Key dates in the hospice’s history

1991: The hospice was founded, called Hospice of the Marches and run by Dr Richard Lamerton

1992: The Tredegar clinic began, and 1,935 home visits were made to patients in Blaenau Gwent 1994: The hospice office in Castle Street, Tredegar, opened

1999: The hospice was relaunched as Hospice of the Valleys and the office in Morgan Street was opened by the charity’s patron, Lord Kinnock

2000: The hospice’s first two charity shops, in Ebbw Vale and Tredegar, opened

2004: Dr Lamerton retired, Blaina clinic opened and a new shop opened in Brynmawr

2007: Jayne Medlicott, who helped found the hospice, received an MBE. A hospice benefactor gave £5 million to the hospice to be invested for its future. The hospice committed to building a new £2 million hospice centre in Ebbw Vale

2010: Jayne Medlicott retired as clinical services director and Helen Rees was appointed.

So much help at a bad time

DENNIS Jull praised the hospice after staff helped care for his partner Kath Morris.

Ms Morris was diagnosed with cancer three years ago and died at home in Six Bells on August 15, 2011.

Mr Jull, 77, explained how the hospice helped provide a specialist bed, hand rails and a stairlift to make things easier for Ms Morris and also helped with her morphine in the final stages.

Mr Jull said: “Hospice of the Valleys was something I knew nothing about. People don’t know about it until it happens. But they’re able to help you and made it a lot easier.

“It’s about trying to get more people aware of it and to support it where possible.”

EDITORIAL COMMENT: Invaluable work

THE work of the Hospice of the Valleys has been invaluable over the last 21 years.

It has treated around 10,000 people since its inception from humble beginnings in 1991 with just one nurse and one doctor.

Now the hospice has 25 staff at its Tredegar headquarters and treats more than 500 patients a year who are suffering from illnesses including cancer or motor neurone disease and costs almost £1 million a year to run.

Hospice of the Valleys and other hospice services in Gwent do incredible work.

They care for people when they are in their most vulnerable state and also provide support for families.

We are constantly bewildered as to why they are not funded under the NHS. Instead they face difficult fund raising and going cap in hand for money where they can find it.

Shocking really when you consider the level of care they provide.

We wish the Hospice of the Valleys well for its next 21 years of devotion.