Redefining hospice care – St Columba’s Hospice Palliative Care, Edinburgh

Who makes it happen

From the doctors and nurses to physios, chaplains, occupational and complementary therapists, they all make a difference to the lives of patients and families on an hourly basis.

Meet our people

Our values

Our values are central to what makes up the Hospice culture across our services. They provide a background for how we work together to take on the challenges ahead.

  • Respect

    We will ensure that respect is at the heart of our interactions with all who come into contact with the Hospice. Respect and confidentiality will frame all our conversations, no matter how challenging the circumstances. We will treat everyone with respect, ensuring that difference and diversity are accepted unconditionally, as this will help us be open to change.

  • Care and Compassion

    We care with compassion for patients, families and carers, for the colleagues and students we work with, and also for the supporters and those who make our work possible. Compassion is integrated into the way we interact with everyone who comes into contact with the Hospice. We strive to attract and recruit staff and volunteers who are committed to working in this way. We care for patients and families through some of the hardest times they may face. This is not always easy, but we endeavor to listen to them, and keep their needs and wishes at the centre of all of our considerations. Our care is always person centred.

  • Partnership

    We invite and welcome opportunities to work in partnership with groups of organisations who share our values and who believe in the best possible care of anyone living with a lifelimiting illness. We believe that innovative and collaborative partnerships will help cultivate opportunities for service developments, community engagement, education, research and income generation. We will also invite and encourage opportunities to work with people who are using, or have used, our services in order to shape current and future developments.

  • Trust

    We acknowledge that we are all responsible for creating a safe and trusting environment, and that trust is vital to allow our organisation to flourish. Trust will be earned by our actions and is at the heart of the way we interact with each other and with all those connected to the Hospice. We acknowledge that patients, families, staff, students and volunteers put great trust in the Hospice as a place to make the most of their lives, time or skills.

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Our strategic plan 2020 to 2023

Adapting to a changing world

At the centre of this strategy is a commitment to reshaping our services in order to meet the needs of as many people in our community as possible. The concept of ‘adapting to a changing world’ is central to this strategy. Initially this idea reflected changes in how care can be delivered across our community. Following the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic the theme is more relevant than ever.

Download the report (1.2MB)

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