A FIRST of its kind partnership in West Yorkshire will see two hospice charities, one from Bradford, working together to support more people with life limiting illnesses.

Marie Curie Bradford Hospice and Leeds' St Gemma’s Hospice have announced a new partnership that will enable nine Marie Curie hospice staff to work at St Gemma’s on a short-term basis.

The secondment will provide St Gemma’s with the opportunity to care for more people around the clock on its in-patient unit in the coming weeks ahead.

St Gemma’s Chief Nurse, Heather McClelland, said: “We are delighted to be working in a truly collaborative way with Marie Curie, the UK’s leading end of life charity.

"There are benefits for everyone involved – the Marie Curie hospice team can continue to do what they do best during their temporary pause in admissions, St Gemma’s Hospice will benefit from additional resource and skill, and we will potentially be able to admit more patients who need our care during this time, widening access to more of our community.

“It also gives us a real chance to share ideas, ways of working and ultimately improve the care we all provide to people with life limiting illnesses.

“We are grateful to Marie Curie for helping to make this happen.”

The hospice, based on Maudsley Street, recently strengthened its leadership team with the addition of the vastly experienced Sue Hogston.

She took up the role of Head of Nursing & Quality, with responsibility for oversight and leadership of all nurses within the Bradford centre, as well as across the Yorkshire region.

Sue added: “We’re thrilled to be able to support St Gemma’s, at a time when we have temporarily paused admissions to our own inpatient unit at the Marie Curie hospice in Bradford.

"While we recruit more staff and prepare to re-admit patients, this great collaboration gives us a fantastic opportunity to support another hospice, learn from the experience, and fundamentally make a difference to people locally in need of hospice care and support.

“I would also like to thank our six registered nurses and three healthcare assistants for taking up this amazing opportunity.”

Like many other health and care providers, both hospices are experiencing staffing shortage and need more staff to deliver high-quality care safely around the clock.

To find out more about rewarding job opportunities, contact the Marie Curie Hospice, Bradford at bradford.hospice@mariecurie.org.uk and/or St Gemma’s at nurses@st-gemma.co.uk