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Theme: Staff and volunteers

Denise Oldfield has her sights set on the Great Manchester Run Half Marathon to raise funds for St Ann’s Hospice

May 6, 2022 | 8:03pm

In the summer of 2019, the father of Denise’s former partner, Bill Waddington, was supported by the nursing staff at St Ann’s Hospice in Heald Green, after being diagnosed with a rare brain tumour. Denise happened to be helping out in the lottery department of the hospice at the same time and would visit Bill each day after work.


I witnessed first-hand how amazing the staff and nurses were during that period and how much they cared.


A keen road runner, Denise has been pounding the pavements for the last twenty years but never met the challenging heights of a 23km half marathon. Inspired by the work of the hospice and wanting to push herself further than ever before.


I have always had it in the back of my mind to do a half marathon. The longest distance I have run is 17km; from my house in Northenden to Quarry Bank Mill in Styal and back. I want to push myself a little bit further this time round for a great cause.


Talking about what gives her the motivation to take on the run, Denise said:


I guess like many people I had my preconceptions about hospices, however all these myths were dispelled on my frequent bed-side visits to Bill in Heald Green. There is a real camaraderie between staff, patients and families. Bill was treated with such dignity whilst being cared for at St Ann’s. The hospice is widely respected in and around Greater Manchester, Stockport but also around the world. It’s evident that everybody who works there, whether office-based, nursing staff, shop managers or volunteers, all share the same vision and passion.


St Ann’s provides care for thousands of people with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses every year from its hospice sites in Heald Green and Little Hulton, as well as via a range of community and outreach services.  Specialist hospice staff support people from across Greater Manchester and parts of Cheshire right from the point of diagnosis of their illness, through treatment and beyond. 


Thank you so much Denise for taking on this bold and brave challenge to support St Ann’s. The Great Manchester Run has been such an important fundraiser for the hospice for many years. We’re really grateful to anyone who joins Team St Ann’s – there’s an amazing atmosphere on the day, and every penny raised makes such a difference to the lives of local people. We can’t wait to see you there! Please sign up now and help support St Ann’s.


Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive of St Ann’s Hospice

St Ann’s have a number of free charity places available for people wishing to run the epic 10km or half-marathon. The St Ann’s sixty in 60 challenge returns for the Great Manchester Run 2022, where the hospice challenge sixty runners to complete 10km in 60 minutes. Team members are granted free entry into the run and asked to raise a minimum of £200 in sponsorship. Runners can decide to take on the challenge or run at their own pace and can join social meet ups and training events to help them prepare for the challenge.  

 To sponsor Denise visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/denise-oldfield  

Sign up for a free St Ann’s charity place today!!

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Why I love my job – Jenny

April 29, 2022 | 8:45am

“My role includes buying new goods to sell in our high street shops and putting together seasonal catalogues to promote stock.

“I’m based in our Distribution Centre in Reddish, where I manage the warehouse day-to-day and manage and promote our drive-thru donation days and Distribution Centre sales. I also take donations and sort them for the shops and sale days.

“I’ve worked in charity retail for 20 years, including buying for national charities, and I’ve been at St Ann’s for four years.


One of the things I love most about my job is knowing that every penny I help raise goes to support the hospice.


“My favourite part of the job is putting together the Christmas card catalogue and choosing the range of cards.

“I love meeting people at the drive-thru donation days and Distribution Centre sales. People are very generous and want to support St Ann’s.”

We’re looking for volunteers for our shops

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5 minutes with… Damian, Advanced Clinical Practitioner

April 29, 2022 | 8:30am
Damian with his bike that he rides to work outside the hospice front entrance

What’s an Advance Clinical Practitioner?

“Advance Clinical Practitioner (ACPs) is a new role for the hospice. I’m currently in the second year of the MSc Clinical Practice Degree Apprenticeship at Manchester Metropolitan University, a programme of practice-based learning supported by the university and the hospice team.”

What does your role involve?

“We work alongside the medical, nursing, management and other multidisciplinary teams. The role incorporates the four pillars of advanced practice; clinical, education, research and leadership.

“Clinical: assessing and supporting patients on the ward. My role embraces autonomous decision making, non-medical prescribing and collaborative working to enhance a patient’s journey from admission to discharge and beyond.

“Education: being a role model, a mentor, a coach and providing both informal ad formal education to all members of the hospice team.

“Leadership: demonstrating positive behaviours which impact team dynamics. We provide support and guidance to the wider team, and work alongside senior management to uphold the organisational values and respond to strategic needs.

“Research: involvement with audit, quality improvement and our clinical practice is evidence-based.”

What do you love most about your job?


Having 17 years in palliative care, I still take great pleasure working with patients and making a difference. I have also enjoyed the learning and education part of the role.


What’s your proudest achievement so far? 

“I struggle with my educational needs due to having dyslexia. I am very proud that I have been able to manage my study at Masters level and to achieve good grades in the modules I have completed.

“My steepest learning curve has been in the leadership aspects of the role. I am a complete novice with quality improvement and I am learning valuable knowledge and skills in this area.”

What’s surprised you most about St Ann’s?

“Having always worked for the NHS throughout my career, this was my first time working for a charity. It surprised me how innovative and forward-thinking the hospice is. I have also been surprised at the level of support and kindness shown to me during my transition from the Community Specialist Palliative Care Team to this new role.”

Join #TeamStAnns

If you’d like to join our passionate and committed family, join #TeamStAnns as a volunteer, applying for a job or taking on your next fundraising challenge.

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Fundraising in memory of Hazel Wilcock

February 24, 2022 | 1:10pm

Hazel’s death last February stunned the whole community.

Close friend Jemma Major said: “Hazel was like a second mother to me and I miss her terribly. She was a big part of all our lives. She was best friends with my mum Karin for 40 years, having worked together as social workers in the 80s.

“We live just up the road from her house so we have to see it every day and it brings back the tragedy. Not that she’s ever far from our thoughts.”

Hazel was a Senior Counsellor at St Ann’s and helped to further develop our psychological support services to reach even more people during the pandemic.

Fittingly, family, friends and colleagues are raising funds for counselling rooms at the charity’s new hospice in Heald Green.

A charity bike she planned to undertake from Manchester to Blackpool last summer turned into a mass tribute to the much-loved health professional.

Jemma Major, along with Hazel’s partner Tony Dewes and stepdaughter Annmarie, were in a group with 10 other riders who cycled to raise money in memory of Hazel.


The bike ride was torture and very hard for me and I think the other girls will say the same, apart from Annmarie who’s quite fit. The fact that Hazel had entered the bike ride spurred us on to do it. She talked about it all the time it was really nice to do it in her memory. The new counselling rooms will mean her kind and caring legacy may live on. Hazel was truly one of a kind and she touched so many people.


Jemma Major, Hazel’s close friend

Over £13,000 has been raised in memory of Hazel.  Those funds will be put towards the cost of counselling rooms at the new site, to be built next to the current site in Heald Green.

If you’d like to make a donation, please visit the JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jemma-major2

Fundraise in memory

There’s lots of ways you can fundraise in memory of someone you love. From joining an event to setting up a tribute page or dedicating a plaque on our Celebration Tree, you can find something that feels right for you.

Find out more




Celebrating our apprentices at St Ann’s

February 9, 2022 | 5:30pm

At St Ann’s, we pride ourselves on providing world-class care to patients and their loved ones. We can only do that thanks to the amazing team of staff and volunteers that support them.

We have a number of apprentices across the hospice, in clinical and non-clinical roles. We’re passionate about providing training and development opportunities for staff across the hospice, and apprenticeships play an important part of this.

Apprenticeships are a great way for us to continue to invest in the development of our teams, to champion colleagues to lead and learn, and help us to ensure we remain an organisation of choice well into the future too.

We asked some of our apprentices about how they have grown during their apprenticeship journey…


I love the apprenticeship program; it has given me a new lease of life. Being an older student, I had believed my studying days were over. The structure of the program and the support from the university alongside the amazing support I have had from the hospice has ensured my success it has truly been amazing. Whoever said ‘you can’t teach an old dog’ is wrong and I am living proof, I feel the Advanced Clinical Practitioner’s course has shown me new ways to think and improve my practice and supported me to become the first person in my family to achieve a Master’s Degree. I am very proud to be an apprentice at St Ann’s Hospice.


Damian Lacey, Advanced Nurse Practitioner (Trainee)


Since I have started my apprenticeship, I feel that my confidence has grown a lot. At the beginning I was always seeking guidance, worrying that I may get it wrong. Now I have more confidence to complete my tasks without constantly asking if its right and I feel in myself that I can confidently do the tasks that are in front of me. I have even on occasion been able to cover in the kitchen for the cook due to the new skills I have acquired.


Kerry McFarlane, Catering Assistant


Whilst working at St Ann’s Hospice, I have completed a Level 3 HR Support Apprenticeship, in which I have also gained a Level 3 CIPD qualification. The apprenticeship has helped me build on my knowledge, skills and behaviours as a HR professional and most of all allowed my confidence to grow! Undertaking the apprenticeship whilst working has also allowed me to put these knowledge, skills and behaviours into practice too. The apprenticeship definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, of which I am very grateful for, as it has allowed me to develop on both a professional and personal level. As a result of this, I was also nominated and went on to win overall student of the year – an achievement I will always be proud of.


Grace Kinlin, HR & OD Administrator 


I am really enjoying my apprenticeship it can be challenging at times with the work but I feel I have loads of support of my tutor. She is always available if I ever need to ring and speak to her and always keeps me up to date and informed with my classes and workshops and always there for reassurance when needed. She has made the apprenticeship enjoyable and always pushing and believing in me when I am finding things tough. I feel more confident on the ward and my knowledge of Domestic services has improved 3 fold. At times I am taken out of my comfort zone and the training has helped me deal with this.


Amy Traynor, Housekeeping Assistant

This week, we’re also proud to be celebrating some award-winning apprentices!

Cath was nominated for an award with Salford City College, and at the awards ceremony won Hospitality and Catering Apprentice of The Year!

Cath was one of our very first non-clinical apprentices at the hospice. During the challenges of the pandemic, Cath completed her Level 3 Production Chef apprenticeship – which included adapting when her course became virtual.

Cath also completed Aspire, St Ann’s leadership development programme in the same year. Following her apprenticeship and training, Cath’s now able to provide cover for the cook in the Little Hulton kitchen.

Grace Kinlin, HR & OD Administrator, joined St Ann’s in January 2021 and was able to continue her HR Support Level 3 apprenticeship in her new role.

She was nominated and won two awards during her apprenticeship, including ‘Student of the year’.

Her tutor’s nomination said: “Grace thrived during the course and demonstrated resilience and commitment to her chosen profession, seeking a new role which is very suited to her and will nurture her talent further still. Grace is an example of an outstanding student.”

We have been rated ‘outstanding’!

January 20, 2022 | 6:39pm

The CQC has this week confirmed the ‘outstanding’ rating for our Little Hulton hospice following an assessment in November. 

Comments in the report from the independent assessors included praise for staff who: “…treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions.”   

Feedback also said that the St Ann’s team: “…provided emotional support to patients, families and carers and went above and beyond what would have been expected to meet individuals needs and wishes.” 

We are a charity, and our teams collaborate closely with colleagues in the NHS and other health and social care professionals to ensure local people can access specialist palliative and end of life care when they need it most. 


I’m extremely proud of everyone in the St Ann’s team for this incredible achievement, and it was amazing and humbling to read the feedback from the independent CQC inspectors. 

It’s real testament to the hard work and dedication of staff and volunteers who have made sure that our patients and their families have continued to receive the very best care, even throughout the additional challenges of the pandemic. They’ve worked so hard on the front line to ensure care could continue. 

I’m proud every day to be part of such a fantastic team.  Whilst it has been challenging to keep on delivering outstanding care whilst raising the £20,000 a day we need to fundraise to keep those services going, everyone across the organisation – whatever their role – has really stepped up and pulled together to achieve that.  Our patients are at the heart of everything we do, and I’m so pleased that the outstanding levels of specialist care we provide have been recognised in this way.


Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive of St Ann’s

Two staff members walking down the corridor

We have also recently been recognised with an Investors in People Gold Award, and in the last twelve months has also been shortlisted for, or won, a range of regional and national awards for our work.   

These include being a regional winner at the GM Chamber Excellence Awards for best Problem Solver which highlighted work the teams at the hospice had done to innovate and adapt in response to the pandemic – both from a care and fundraising point of view.  We also went on to win the national Winner of Winners award. 

We were also a finalist in the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Awards for our innovative service providing palliative and end of life care support to homeless people in the city, and received the Mayor’s Special Recognition Award in acknowledgement of the value of the project on the lives of the people the team cares for.   

We celebrated our 50 year anniversary last year, and we’re embarking on a project to build a new site in Heald Green, to replace its current building there which has been a hospice for more than half a century and is no longer fit for the future. 

 


It’s an exciting time in our history, as we embark on our ambitious plans both for the new building in Heald Green, but also to ensure our services continue to meet the future care needs of generations of local people to come. 

Huge thanks to everyone who supports the hospice, whether by working alongside us on our many projects and services in Greater Manchester, or by donating or joining our fundraising activities to ensure that care can continue.   

We can only do what we do thanks to that huge community of people who make up the St Ann’s family, so thanks to everyone who has contributed.  We really appreciate it.


Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive of St Ann’s

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St Ann’s Homeless Palliative Care Coordinator featured on international news site

December 21, 2021 | 8:00am


For most people, when asked where they would like to be cared for and to spend their last days, their wish is to be at ‘home’. Home means so much more than just the physical structure you live in; it’s a place of emotional support, safety, shelter. A place to retreat to at the end of the day and somewhere to take shelter from the world when you are unwell.


Niamh Brophy, Homeless Palliative Care Coordinator

It is estimated that at least 150 million people across the world do not have a place to call home. Instead, they live their lives on the streets, or staying in insecure or temporary accommodation. These environments are often ill equipped to support someone whose health is deteriorating.

At St Ann’s, we envisioned a different approach to care in order to reach people who might not traditionally access our services. We always want to provide support in a way that is best tailored to people’s individual needs and wishes, and recognise that a hospice building isn’t always right for everyone.

This week Niamh Brophy, our Homeless Palliative Care Coordinator, told ehospice about our approach to homelessness and palliative care, and shared some of best practice and practical steps people can take to make services more accessible which are highlighted in our new film.

You can read the article online on ehospice.

Watch our new film

Watch the film on our website, where you can also find other useful resources about palliative care and homelessness.

Watch the film




Royal visit to commemorate a very special moment in our history

December 8, 2021 | 9:28am
The Princess Royal visiting St Ann's Hospice and meeting staff

This year we’ve been celebrating 50 years since our Heald Green hospice opened, and The Princess Royal joined our staff, patients and volunteers as we marked the occasion. The Princess Royal was given a tour of the hospice, and unveiled a plaque and planted a special commemorative tree to mark the occasion.

The Princess Royal unveiling plaque to commemorate the visit and the anniversary.


We’d like to say a huge thank you to Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal for taking time in her busy schedule to come to St Ann’s. We were honoured to show her around our Heald Green site, and to introduce her to some of our patients and their families, staff and volunteers.




We’re hugely proud to have reached our 50th birthday, and it’s only thanks to the local community that we’ve been able to do that. That’s especially true over the last two years when we’ve all been working really hard to continue providing care throughout the pandemic.

We’re providing a huge range of services to local people, whether via our inpatient units on our hospice sites, or virtually. We’re also caring for people in their own homes, or the place they call home, and I’m really proud of how we’ve adapted to continue doing that despite the challenges that have come with the Covid-19 pandemic.


The Princess Royal visiting St Ann's Hospice and meeting staff


Hundreds of thousands of people have been part of St Ann’s history over the last half a century, whether as patients, family members, staff, volunteers, or supporters.

Whether it’s the support we receive from fundraisers who generously help us raise the £20,000 a day we need to keep our services running, the endless time our army of more than 700 local volunteers give to help staff and patients, or the businesses and health care professionals who collaborate with us in so many ways – we simply wouldn’t have been here for so long without them all.



There’s been so much going on to mark our magnificent milestone this year, from our special edition Manchester Virtual Walk, to our bloomingly brilliant garden at the Manchester Flower Show. From the incredibly moving art installation at the Trafford Centre made from a thousand metal forget-me-not flowers, to all of the individuals and groups joining us to take on a sporting challenge as part of our birthday year, we’ve been overwhelmed by the support and outpouring of love for our charity.



It’s so interesting looking back and reflecting on St Ann’s unique history and how privileged we have been, over the years, to have touched the lives of so many families. What’s interesting is that while hospice care changes and its breadth and ambition is probably unrecognisable to the care provided when the early hospices opened around half a century ago, the ethos of what we do remains the same. 

We always want to provide individualised, holistic care to our patients, and our overarching aim is to ensure they have the very best quality of life as possible. That hasn’t changed in almost half a century, and as we look ahead and evolve and develop our services for the future, we know that will always remain most important to us.


Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive of St Ann’s

In 1967 Dame Cicely Saunders oversaw the creation of the UK’s first modern hospice, St Christopher’s Hospice in London. Around the same time, it was recognised that a hospice was needed in Manchester. Dr Moya Cole, from The Christie Hospital, informally approached the Bishop of Manchester, the Right Reverend Dr William Greer, asking if local churches would join together to set up a hospice.

Our hospice in Heald Green received its first patients on 17 May 1971. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, officially opened the hospice in June 1971.

We opened a second hospice site in Little Hulton which began receiving patients in 1979, and Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal came to officially open it in May that year.

The Princess Royal signs a visitors book.

Do you want to help support St Ann’s to care for patients for another 50 years?

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