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“Hospice” is one of those words that can stop a conversation cold. We hear it and jump straight to the worst-case scenario. Then Steph Edusei, Chief Executive of St Oswald’s Hospice in Newcastle, flips the script with a simple truth: a hospice is a place of life. The care is joyful, values-led, and built around what matters to the person and their family, not what fits a system.

We dig into what hospice care actually looks like today, from inpatient beds and discharge home, to outpatient support that helps people manage pain, breathlessness and the emotional weight of a progressive life-limiting illness. Steph explains why hospice care is not only for cancer, how memory making and social work support can change a family’s experience, and why many people arrive needing symptom control rather than “end of life only” care.

From there, we get practical about neighbourhood health. St Oswald’s has been working in community partnership for years, focusing on trust, humility and reaching people who would not traditionally access hospice services. We talk about self-defined neighbourhoods, why “multidisciplinary” must include the voluntary sector and social care, and what makes teams work when every professional is respected.

We also explore “Focus on Living”, St Oswald’s outpatient model with groups, clinics and activities shaped by service users, plus the funding reality for UK charity hospices and the huge role of volunteers. If this conversation challenges what you think a hospice is, share it with someone who needs a calmer, truer picture and please subscribe and leave us a review so more people can find it.

Welcome to Make Impact Podcast, where we dive deep into the stories, strategies, and solutions that drive real change. I'm Heidi Fisher and I work with organisations on a mission to tackle poverty, reduce health inequalities, and create lasting social impact. In each episode, I bring you inspiring conversations with change makers, social entrepreneurs, and thought leaders who are making a difference.

Thank you for joining us on this episode of the Make an Impact podcast. I hope you found today's conversation as inspiring and thought provoking as I did. If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with others who want to create positive change. You can connect with me on LinkedIn and learn more about my work at Makeanimpactcic.co.uk.

Until next time, let's keep making an impact in the world.

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Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast. I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.