2020 is almost over. Looking back, I think we all wish we had bought shares in Zoom, hand sanitisers and toilet paper!
The pandemic has made some of the most important parts of the care provided for patients and their families very challenging, and our clinical teams have needed to adapt to new ways of working in order to meet our patients’ needs. We are incredibly proud of the Macmillan Unit team, and the lengths they have gone to in order to put what is important to our patients at the heart of their care.
We would like to thank all our staff, volunteers and trustees at the Macmillan Unit, at University Hospitals Dorset and in the community. Thank you for your selfless dedication to those in our community who need your care the most. We would like thank University Hospitals Dorset for working with us in partnership to fund the Macmillan Unit. Their help and support has been invaluable.
We would like to pay tribute to our colleagues at the Grove Hotel. The pandemic forced the permanent closure of our specialist hotel in Bournemouth which was devastating news. We thank our colleagues (our friends) for their hard work over many years, providing wonderful holidays and memories for people with life threatening illnesses. We wish them well for the future.
Looking back over the year, we prefer not to focus on all we have been through that has tested each and every one of us. We will remember 2020 for the random acts of kindness, the people who telephoned us and asked if there was anything they could do to help, those who found new ways of fundraising for us when all our events were cancelled, those who made face masks and scrubs, people who sent in donations to make sure we could carry on providing care, those who delivered food for our Nurses when they didn’t have time to take breaks, and those who delivered gifts for our patients.
Adversity very often brings out the best in people, and this year we have seen numerous fine examples of our community helping those less fortunate. Thanks to you all we are able to continue providing specialist care for our patients and support for their families, at a time when they need it most.
We look to the future, a new year, a vaccine and promises of a return to normality. We look forward to starting the building of our new hospice, a beautiful facility for our patients, visitors, staff and volunteers.
Christmas will be different this year for all of us. Whatever you are doing over the festive period, we hope you are able to spend time with loved ones, make some special memories and have a wonderful time.
