Supporting Hospice Staff: ShinyMind collaborates with St Christopher’s Hospice to co-create Grief and Loss Masterclass
Wellbeing and positivity play a crucial role in both staff morale and the quality of care they provide to patients. The ShinyMind Nursing Version, developed through NHS England secondment and endorsed by Dame Ruth May, was co-designed with NHS nurses, midwives, and healthcare support workers to offer vital mental health and wellbeing support. Now, thanks to the legacy fund of former nurse Siân Evans, we are expanding this support even further by working alongside St Christopher’s Hospice to co-create a Grief and Loss Masterclass for hospice care staff.
Shaping the Grief and Loss Masterclass
Caring for patients at the end of their lives is both a privilege and a challenge. Hospice staff provide compassionate care not only to patients but also to their families, often navigating profound emotional burdens in the process. To ensure they receive the right support, this collaboration with St Christopher’s Hospice is shaping a Grief and Loss Masterclass specifically tailored to the needs of patient-facing hospice staff.
Once launched, this resource will be made available to 3,000 hospice care staff. Following this, it will also be integrated into the ShinyMind Nursing Version, ensuring that those in caring roles have access to dedicated support to manage the additional emotional weight that comes with their work.
A Legacy of Compassion: Siân’s Impact
In memory of Siân Evans: Legacy Behind This Work
Tyrrell Evans (husband) and Isabel Potter (daughter)“We are so grateful for the generosity of friends and family to my darling wife’s legacy fund with St Christopher’s Hospice. Siân’s areas of work had been in nursing and counselling. We have supported two Communities of Practice for Nurses in End-of-life care (EoLC), and one for doctors. We are now delighted to enable the ShinyMind team to develop a Masterclass in Grief and Loss with our hospice and to make ShinyMind available to 3000 hospice nurses around the country. We are very aware of the many different pressures of working in EoLC, and are so pleased to be helping to develop this resource to support the expertise, resilience and emotional health of those working in this field. This fits so perfectly with what was important in Siân’s working life, and what has become increasingly important to us as a family since her death.”
The Journey to Launch
This project began with an initial discovery session to better understand the support needs of hospice staff and how best to help them in their roles. After gathering feedback on an early draft of the Masterclass roadmap, the ShinyMind team is now developing the content, which will be reviewed by stakeholders before being officially deployed to 3,000 hospice staff by March 2025.
By April 2025, the Grief and Loss Masterclass will also become a permanent part of the ShinyMind Nursing Version, ensuring ongoing support for those working in end-of-life and palliative care.
Honouring Those Who Care for Others
At the heart of this project is a commitment to supporting those who dedicate their lives to caring for others. We are honoured to be working alongside St Christopher’s Hospice and to be part of Siân Evans’ lasting legacy, helping to shape a future where hospice staff feel valued, supported, and emotionally equipped for their vital work.