Two well-known institutions in Lancashire have joined forces to help support people with life shortening illnesses. St Catherine’s Hospice will become a University Hospice thanks to new strategic partnership agreement with University of Central Lancashire.
The University of Central Lancashire and St Catherine’s Hospice have signed a strategic partnership agreement today, 29 January, to strengthen the positive impact being made between the two organisations.
The mutually beneficial partnership will see the charity become a University Hospice and it aims to improve patient care through education and research. It will provide learning opportunities for clinical and non-clinical students in the hospice setting and will also create development opportunities for hospice staff.
Professor StJohn Crean, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) at the University of Central Lancashire, said: “I’m absolutely delighted we’re able to formally recognise our fantastic working relationship
“We have been working collaboratively for a while now but feel the time is appropriate to strengthen this partnership and the link between education, research and practice further, whilst recognising the great work that St Catherine’s Hospice delivers.
“This collaboration will ensure education, training, research and innovation is embedded in all the hospice delivers and that will be of benefit to the patients, their loved ones, the staff and volunteers and our students.”
Students on a wide range of medical, nursing and health courses will undertake placements at the Lostock Hall based charity, which supports people with life-shortening conditions to have quality of life to the end of life.
More than 300 medical students, from Years 1, 4 and 5, will spend time at the hospice on an annual basis. First year students will undertake a day placement, providing their first insights into hospice and palliative care; fourth years will spend two weeks gaining experience of the inpatient unit and community and lymphoedema care while final year students will have the option to select the hospice for an extended self-selected module.
It is also hoped placements opportunities will be created for students across a variety of health and social care courses including nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and counselling.
Dr Andrew Fletcher, Medical Director at St Catherine’s Hospice, commented:
“Today is a landmark day for us and it’s one which brings great excitement for what the future holds.
“We already take a number of medical students on placements but what’s exciting for us is the potential to expand those opportunities to wider disciplines under the umbrella of our University Hospice partnership.
“The University and ourselves have worked together with Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust to establish a research and innovation subcommittee and through this partnership we are now looking forward to developing so many more palliative care research and innovation opportunities.”
Other aspects of the partnership include recognition of hospice staff with honorary University appointments and guest lecture opportunities.
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Photo caption 1
Official signing group shot with representatives from the University of Central Lancashire and St Catherine’s Hospice.
Photo caption 2
University of Central Lancashire Vice-Chancellor Professor Graham Baldwin and Lorraine Norris, Chair of St Catherine’s Hospice shaking hands on the new strategic partnership.
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About the University of Central Lancashire:
- The University of Central Lancashire is an international, multi-campus University tracing its roots back to 1828 and leading the way in modern learning today.
- We started life in the city of Preston and are spending £200 million on giving our Preston Campus a world-class makeover. This includes our new £35 million Engineering Innovation Centre, and our stunning new Student Centre, which provides second-to-none care for our students. Both buildings overlook University Square, a focal point for community events and an iconic gateway linking together the city and the University.
- We’ve also grown to include campuses in Burnley (East Lancashire), Westlakes (West Cumbria) and Blackburn (Training 2000). And in 2012 we became the first British university to establish an overseas campus in Cyprus.
- Today we’re one of the UK’s largest universities, with a colleague and student community approaching 38,000 and an alumni network of over 200,000 people worldwide.
- Our employment-focused course portfolio – with more than 350 undergraduate programmes, nearly 200+ postgraduate courses and rich array of CPD courses – means we offer the skills and experience that industry needs. We’ve also joined forces with Training 2000, one of the largest Group Training Associations in the UK and are set to become the leading provider of apprenticeships at all levels in the North West.
- Our university is Lancashire’s largest provider of graduate level qualifications and we have established links with global businesses, police constabularies, NHS trusts and more than 1,000 regional enterprises across a variety of sectors.
- Our community is made up of students from more than 100 countries around the world. And we are partnered with 123 institutions across the globe, making us a truly international University.
- We are ranked in the top 7% of universities worldwide (Center for World University Rankings 2022-23), and have a fantastic reputation for graduate outcomes, with 90% of international UCLan graduates in work or further education (HESA graduate outcomes, 2019-20).
- On the world stage, our research teams work collaboratively with major international organisations, from the United Nations to NASA. From helping to produce the world’s first photograph of a Black Hole, to proving the links between firefighting and cancer, our researchers are delivering accessible, powerful and impactful research.
- We pride ourselves on universally supporting our people, being actively liberating, inherently innovative and proudly spirited to face whatever life throws at us. These values are woven into the fabric of who we are and will always be.
- You can find us at ac.uk, or on our Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram pages.
About St Catherine’s Hospice:
St Catherine’s cares for patients and families across Chorley, Preston and South Ribble who are affected by life-shortening conditions like cancer, heart failure, frailty and those with dementia.
Our specialised care is here to help people enjoy the best possible quality of life, to the end of life. We work with patients and their loved ones at the hospice and in their own homes to help them achieve what is important to them in the time they have. We also offer bereavement support to everyone in our community.
Funds are raised in a variety of ways including donations in wills; our weekly lottery; charity shops; seasonal events such as the Moonlight and Memories Walk and Santa Dash; remembrance campaigns such as Yellow Ribbon Dedications and Light Up A Life; fundraising activities and challenges organised by supporters; and The Mill café, set in the welcoming grounds of St Catherine’s Park.
For more information, visit www.stcatherines.co.uk
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