Lord and Lady Ranger host exclusive dinner for Special Guests at House of Lords, United Kingdom in support of Thames Hospice
On Wednesday 13 October 2021, over 100 guests joined Sajid Javid MP,
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Theresa May MP, former Prime
Minister and hosts Lord and Lady Ranger CBE for an exclusive dinner at the
House of Lords to celebrate the work of frontline staff at Thames Hospice and
to launch a new major giving initiative.
During the evening, keynote speeches highlighted the vital role that
Thames Hospice and other hospices play in the UK health and social care system,
their response to the coronavirus pandemic and the long term changes needed to
the UK health sector.
Debbie Raven, Thames Hospice Chief Executive Officer, took the
opportunity to brief supporters and the Secretary of State for Health: “Today,
right now, we have many people experiencing serious illnesses as a result of
the pandemic. With our aging population we will see as many people dying every
day in 10 years’ time as at the peak of the first wave. It is essential that
hospices are given a seat at the table to help plan our healthcare so that
people living with a serious illness get the care and support they need.”
Theresa May, former Prime Minister and MP for Maidenhead has been a
long-time supporter of Thames Hospice. May said: “I have watched and supported
as Thames Hospice has adapted and grown its services in the last two years to
make sure that no patient or family members feels alone with a terminal
illness. This responsive pragmatic approach to a fast changing health care environment
is the excellence we should all be striving for.”
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid who is
currently tasked with equipping health and social care with the leadership and
funding it will need in the coming years said: “I am very encouraged to hear
about the innovative and proactive work of Thames Hospice to understand their
patients and then adapt services, it reminds us all of the essential health
partnerships around the country that keep our communities well cared for.”
The evening launched the Thames Hospice Patrons Club, a new major giving
initiative aimed at sustaining inpatient care to help patients facing a
life-limiting condition to live the best possible quality of life, supporting
their families and ensuring the Hospice continues to be a centre of excellence
for all those who need palliative and end-of-life and care.
Lord and Lady Ranger CBE are Ambassadors and Patrons for Thames Hospice
and hosted the dinner for friends and other Thames Hospice supporters. Lord Rami
Ranger said: “The work of Thames Hospice is fundamental in supporting
individuals through the most traumatic time. We couldn’t think of a better way
to support, and encourage our peers to become Patrons like we are.”
Lord Rami Ranger CBE with Theresa May MP, Former Prime Minister and Sir Philip May
In the photo from Left to Right: First row: Niranjan Deva, Minnie
Bhagnani, Lady Renu Ranger, Lord Rami Ranger CBE, Khemchand Bhagnani and Dr
Ashraf Chohan
Second row (seating): Gaitri Issar Kumar, High Commissioner of India, Saida
Muna Tasneem, High Commissioner of Bangladesh and Romana Chohan
Thames Hospice
Proudly serving the community for more than 30 years, we are a leading
UK Hospice providing inpatient and community palliative and end-of-life care
services to people aged 16 and over across East Berkshire and South
Buckinghamshire. Treating everyone with kindness and compassion and providing a
safe and caring environment is at the heart of everything we do to support
those facing a life-limiting illness.
We are committed to delivering and demonstrating excellence and the
highest quality nursing, medical and therapeutic care within our Hospice and in
patients’ homes, supporting the physical, social and psychological needs of our
patients and their loved ones. Our highly skilled doctors and nurses work with
patients and their families to develop a complete programme of care tailored to
their needs, treating everyone with dignity and respect.
We believe in empowering the people we care for and offer a wide range
of services to help them feel well for as long as possible. Alongside our
inpatient and community nursing services, we provide care to support people’s
wellbeing through our ‘Living Well’ service, including counselling support,
complementary therapy, physiotherapy and Lympheodema services. We also have a
24-hour telephone service available to patients’ carers and healthcare
professionals to provide guidance on symptom control, practical advice and
emotional support.
Our services are free of charge to all who need us, thanks to the
generosity of our amazing community and organisations, as well as our 700
incredible volunteers who give their time to support the best possible end of
life care for local people. It costs £12million every year to keep our Hospice
running and we rely on charitable support for over 50% of the funds we need
annually to provide our services 365 days a year to the people who need us
most.
On 11 October 2021 Thames Hospice was rated as ‘outstanding’ by the Care
Quality Commission, following a recent inspection of its state-of-the-art
facility by Bray Lake.