Naomi and Jack’s recently made some big changes to break down misconceptions and barriers, allowing more local children, young adults and families to access the charity.
Some families have misconceptions about what the hospice charity does. The charity heard:
“The word ‘Hospice’ was a massive barrier, and it made us feel like we were giving up as parents.”
“We had visions of this only being end of life and it being a dark and sad place.”
“We consider ourselves as parents with a disabled child, not someone looking for end-of-life care, even though we know our daughter has a life limiting illness.”
“We didn’t know if they were equipped to care for babies. We were worried we wouldn’t fit in.”
“It feels like Jack’s Place has always been an add-on.”
When these families eventually came to Naomi and Jack’s, they realised their perceptions were wrong. But research showed that this stopped them from accessing the help they needed at the time they needed it. The charity deemed this unacceptable, so made some big changes to address this issue.
Previously known as Naomi House & Jacksplace, Naomi and Jack’s has changed its name and evolved its brand to break down these barriers, raise awareness and reflect its breadth of services.
Naomi and Jack’s opened its doors nearly 30 years ago, and its services have grown as it now cares for over 600 families. But how the charity presents itself hasn’t. The charity needs to be clear and raise awareness about what it is and what it does so more children, young adults and families can access its services, and to stand out from the competition to raise the money needed to reach more local families.
The name change and brand evolution was carried out to remove barriers for young adults and families so they feel comfortable to go to Naomi and Jack’s – breaking down the misconception that it is just a hospice where people go to die. The charity provides expert palliative care to babies, children and young adults with a range of specialist staff from Paediatric Palliative Care Consultants and Doctors to Clinical Nurse Specialists, Physiotherapists and more. Naomi and Jack’s provides specialist short breaks, emergency respite, therapeutic support, community outreach, end of life care, bereavement support, play and activities, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and more.
Before going ahead with these changes, the charity committed to thorough extensive research with families and young adults that use its services, alongside staff, volunteers, supporters, Trustees, doctors and clinicians. Over 9,000 people were consulted for their views about the charity and misconceptions about hospices, and this was the integral foundation of the work. Young adults from Jack’s Place have been central to the design. They chose the colours, typefaces and shaped the new look and feel, so the charity now looks and feels how the people it serves want it to.
The charity also created a new strapline, ‘Full lives, however short.’ This removes the word ‘hospice’ and focusses on the positivity of living, while acknowledging death and dying, which is representative of palliative care.
Jane, mum of Amanda who used to visit Naomi House and then Jack’s Place, was on the steering committee for the brand review. She said:
“The new strapline represents Amanda. She got told she had a short life, she was quite matter of fact about it, but she was determined that that wasn’t going to stop her doing what she wanted to do.”
Dr Mike Miller, Patron of Naomi and Jack’s and retired Paediatric Palliative Care Consultant, said:
“Our strapline is ‘full lives, however short’. We offer so much that enriches the lives of the young adults and children we care for. We’re not all about end of life. We’re about living well.”
The charity also needs to increase awareness of Jack’s Place. Jack’s Place is a specialist centre for seriously ill young adults aged 16-35. It is the only service of its kind in the south of England. Yet not enough people know about Jack’s Place. This part of the old name, Naomi House & Jacksplace, was often left out and forgotten. Young adults who visited Jack’s Place felt part of a children’s service, rather than having a space of their own.
So, the name has been simplified to ensure Jack’s Place has equal prominence, giving the young adults that visit more room to shine.
Naomi and Jack’s also needs to stand out against the competition. The hospices operate in an unpredictable world; it’s never been more expensive to provide palliative care for babies, children and young adults. Naomi and Jack’s need to raise over £9 million per year to reach every family who needs its services, and less than 15% of that comes from government funding. It has never been more important for the charity to be clear about the care it provides and how local communities can help.
Ben, dad of Teddy who came to Naomi House at the end of his life, was also involved in the re-branding process. He said:
“I wish more people knew how important Naomi and Jack’s is. The rebrand will reach out and give more people understanding of what the facilities are. This place needs to be here, forever. So, it’s really important to encapsulate everything that Naomi and Jack’s does.”
Chris, dad of Tommy who also visited Naomi House and then Jack’s Place, and was involved in the re-brand, said:
“For the families, we need to subtly reposition Naomi and Jack’s so that there’s not that trepidation or that fear of getting involved and benefiting from this wonderful charity.”
Mark Smith, Chief Executive at Naomi and Jack’s, said:
“We needed to make our charity stand out from the crowd so families and young adults can access our care without boundaries, communities can help fund our crucial services, Jack’s Place can take equal prominence to Naomi House, and to raise awareness of the breadth of specialist services we provide. As our services have grown, the way we present ourselves hasn’t and this needed to change. I believe our new name, look and feel will help us to extend our reach to more families while enhancing the scope and accessibility of our services.”
Erika Lipscombe, Director of Care at Naomi and Jack’s, said:
“Our vision is to provide access to compassionate support and expert palliative care, when and where families need it: at hospital, at home and at our hospice. We will continue to develop our services to reach more babies, children, young adults and families and do more for those in our care.
“We have recruited a Clinical Nurse Specialist so that a child or young adult can be cared for at the end of their life in the place they choose to be: at home, at the hospital or at our specialist centres. We are refurbishing our family accommodation so parents can enjoy a desperately needed break. And we are transforming our garden at Naomi House to create a peaceful, fun, sensory space for babies, children and families to enjoy.”
To find out more about Naomi and Jack’s, visit their website at: https://www.naomihouse.org.uk
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Naomi and Jack’s is an independent charity offering expert palliative care for children and young adults at our purpose-built hospice and in the community. We support hundreds of families in central southern England, providing outstanding care, specialist short breaks and bereavement support. We’re always here for end of life care, with services available 24 hours, 365 days a year.
At Naomi House we provide individualised care for babies and children, supporting families to make the most of their precious time together. At Jack’s Place – the only hospice for young adults in the south of England – we continue that care with unique services, social activities and a focus on independence.
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