Medical Director’s inspiring visit to Sri Lankan hospice

Our Medical Director, Dr Mary Ann Mahadevan, recently travelled to Sri Lanka where she learned more about the work of Jaffna Hospice.

Accompanied by her husband Dush, who is also a doctor and whose family hail from the south-east Indian Ocean island, Mary Ann delivered an insightful and engaging presentation to share knowledge with their staff and student nurses.

“I talked about how palliative care services are generally structured in the UK, as well as some common challenges,” she explained.

“I then talked more specifically about the services that we deliver in Tameside and Glossop and at Willow Wood. I enjoyed telling them all about our hospice and showing them pictures of our facilities and staff.”

Upon visiting the 22-bed inpatient hospice, which first opened in January 2006, she discovered how they administer palliative care with finite resources.

“It is a beautiful and well-cared-for place with lovely gardens just like Willow Wood,” Mary Ann noted. “The thing that struck me the most was the dedication of the staff to deliver the best care they could with the limited resources they had available.

“There were lots of differences between the organisations and the care that is delivered but the thing that we definitely had in common was the passion of the staff.

“Hospices in the UK are really struggling right now, but it really pales in comparison to what they are working with over there.”

Mary Ann reflected on the visit as being “really interesting, inspiring and thought provoking” from which she learned a lot.

“I think the importance of sharing knowledge and experience with others is really valuable as we can all learn from each other,” she stated.

“I learned about how palliative care is delivered in a completely different healthcare system, as well as the value of community in caring for people as they approach the end of life.”

Mary Ann hopes the experience can mark the beginning of a lasting relationship between the hospices.

“I would be really keen to support them with their education and training needs, and I hope that our experiences can help them to develop as a service. They were really keen to forge an ongoing relationship with Willow Wood and I would be very happy with that.”

You can find out more about Jaffna Hospice by visiting https://caneuk.org/jaffna-hospice/