Meet Aspinline’s Customers: Hollie Gale from Dorothy House Hospice
Meet Hollie Gale, Communications Project Manager for Dorothy House Hospice Care.
We recently spoke to Hollie about their latest order with Aspinline and she told us about the beginnings of the organisation.
"Dorothy House Hospice Care was set up in 1976, based at the Bath home of its founder Prue Dufour. Prue was a woman of vision, determination and deep faith. She saw a need for care of terminally ill patients in their community, rather than in hospital."
We also found out more about the care Dorothy House provides, their staff & volunteers and their fundraising events.
Could you tell us more about Dorothy House?
"Inspired by the example of St Christopher's Hospice (which had been set up in London nine years earlier by Dame Cicely Saunders) Prue drew together a small team of nurses who supported people at home. She chose the name 'Dorothy House' for the charity as a reflection of her Christian faith: Dorothy means 'gift of God'.
In 1979, Dorothy House opened its first Inpatient Unit for six people at 162 Bloomfield Road, Bath, as well as a Day Patient Unit.
In 1980, the property next-door was acquired and used as the Education and Administration Centre.
As awareness increased and the value of hospice care became more widely recognised, 166 Bloomfield Road was bought and converted into one unit with 164. As a result, the original house was sold.
By 1990 the team at Dorothy House was truly multi-professional, involving nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, lymphoedema specialists, chaplain, pharmacy and support staff, including large numbers of volunteers.
What do Dorothy House and its facilities offer patients?
"Dorothy House Hospice Care provides palliative and end of life care across 700 sq miles, serving a population of 550,000 people in Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES) parts of Wiltshire and Somerset.
We were awarded 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in January 2017, placing the Hospice in the top 6% of adult social care providers nationally. We are a leading, independent charity and our services are available free of charge.
We give care and support to patients, their families and carers whenever and wherever it's needed; at home, in the Hospice or at one of our outreach centres. We respect the uniqueness of each patient and their family, and empower them to choose the type of care they receive.
Could you tell us a bit about the staff that work at Dorothy House? What are their backgrounds?
"The staff are made up of medical professionals (including doctors, nurses and physiotherapists), counsellors, social workers, chaplaincy, IT experts, fundraisers, accountants, designers, commercial and charity retail specialists. Paid staff make up less than half of the workforce, complemented by a highly skilled volunteer team of more than 1,000 dedicated members of the community who give graciously of their time and expertise to add immeasurable value to the Hospice.
You can read stories from our staff members and volunteers: Hazel's Story, Eddie's Story and Lee's Story.
Do you have any fundraising events coming up that people can get involved with?
"We have just launched a new event for the autumn!
Our Hospice Care Hero Walk is an exciting new event held on the stunning grounds of Bath Spa University Campus. Participants can dress up as their favourite superhero, use the walk to remember a hero in their life or walk to celebrate the heroes who provide care at Dorothy House.
Without heroes in our community who raise funds and awareness of our work, Dorothy House Hospice Care simply couldn't operate. Our goal is to help more people and deliver care when it's really needed by patients and their families."
How have you used past products from Aspinline and how will you be using your new patch?
"We have recently ordered our new pin badges to recognise milestone anniversaries for our volunteers. These are given for every five-year period of service; some volunteers are celebrating 30 years! Previous to this we ordered two enamel logo pin badges - favours for supporters to request and give to their guests at weddings and events. The pins Aspinline offer are absolutely beautiful and extremely high quality. They are always perfect and our staff, volunteers and members of the community are proud to wear them.
Although we haven't decided for certain, we're expecting to use the patches as an incentive for sign-ups to one of our events; say the first 50 people that sign up will get one! We are sure they will be highly coveted, as are all the items that we have ordered from Aspinline!"
What was your overall experience working with Aspinline?
"Aspinline are fantastic! They understand the importance of excellent quality and take as much pride in the production process as we do in our brand. Having just undergone a brand refresh, the look of these patches was very important; they are one of the first items we've printed and Aspinline made sure they were perfect!
Communication is seamless - regardless of which part of the process the order is on. From initial enquiry, to artwork approval, printing and shipping we know every step of the order and can track the whole job. We don't have any other supplier who has mastered communication like Aspinline."
Would you recommend Aspinline products?
"We'd wholeheartedly and unreservedly recommend Aspinline. Every item we've ordered has been a huge success. Also, we love supporting British business, and local businesses. Aspinline are both. We are delighted to recommend them and their products."
Thank you to Hollie for speaking with us and telling us more about the amazing work and care that Dorothy House Hospice Care provides. We look forward to working with them in future.
If you would like to make custom patches or pin badges just like Dorothy House Hospice you can order online here or contact us today - 0117 956 6657 / [email protected].
