House of Lords reception celebrates continued trans-Atlantic hospice collaboration

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The guests were invited to a reception in the Peers Dining Room, in the British Houses of Parliament by the Right Honourable Lord Howard of Lympne, chair of the Help the Hospices board of trustees. The reception followed a day of meetings focused on strengthening relations between the two organizations.

In his speech at the start of the evening, Lord Howard welcomed the American guests and commented on the shared challenges faced by both organizations, saying: “There is a huge amount that we can learn from each other.”

J. Donald Schumacher, president of NHPCO, recognised the contribution that each of the guests had made to hospice and palliative care, and to changing the way that people die in this world. 

He commended those attending for consistently keeping the message “front and centre” and ensuring that hospice, palliative and end of life care issues continued to be talked about. 

David Praill, chief executive of Help the Hospices in the UK, said:”This is the first time that we have had a significant presence from another country of leaders in hospice care.” He also commented on the vision of collaboration and sharing that had characterised the visit. 

Dame Barbara Monroe, chief executive of St Christopher’s Hospice, said that the meetings had been a springboard for good relationships of communication between Help the Hospices and NHPCO, noting that: “Organizations need to be brave in the current climate. You need a cheerleader behind you to go ahead and do what needs to be done.”

NHPCO and Help the Hospices look forward to a continuation of strong working relationships, and to supporting many exciting international projects in the years ahead. 

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