Arohanui Hospice marks 30 years of serving community

• Published date: 20 May 2021
• Author: Judith Lacy
• Publication title: Guardian, The

It’s anything but, according to the director of palliative care. And he should know as in November he will have worked at Arohanui for 30 years.

The Palmerston North-based hospice turned 30 on May 4 and this week is National Hospice Awareness Week.

“Most people entering hospice discover it to be a happy, positive, encouraging work environment and most of the natives are friendly,” Allan says.

He moved to Palmerston North from Scotland 32 years ago as a medical oncologist.

In his second year of being here, Allan was asked if he wanted to help support the hospice medical team as it started. He would also cover the medical director when he went on leave, but within 18 months found himself working as the medical director.

He’d always been keen on palliative care. As he moved from oncology, he did both for quite a long time. For the past seven years, he has been fulltime in palliative care.

“If you can find a job which satisfies you, it’s a major part of life. Why change. And if it gives you opportunity in all sorts of ways, again why change.”

Allan says Palmy is a wonderful city, an unknown gem, and great for bringing up kids.

He’s also been motivated by fighting in the underdog space. Scots like to fight for the underdog and Palmerston North is not New Zealand’s favourite place, he says.

As director of palliative care, he is the maintainer and guider of excellence and brings any new clinical innovation to the bedside and to the community.

A third of his time is spent leading and the rest of the time he’s a practising clinician.

“The heart and soul of palliative care has not changed. The individual care given to our patients and families remains very high.”

Arohanui has moved from a small number of patients benefitting from hospice involvement, something like six patients a week, to today 240 in a week.

The hospice has sustained the same number of in-patient beds — 10, as it had 30 years ago, but vastly increased the number of patients seen each week.

The hospice provides specialist palliative care for people with a life-limiting illness, not just cancer, in Manawatū, Tararua, Horowhenua and Rangitīkei.

Instead of a focus on beds, which would have been the case 30 years ago, the vision is to keep people feeling safe at home with the care hospice staff can give.

“The vision is to keep people safe in their chosen home environment so if patients and families feel safe at home it means we’re doing a good job.”

There are only a few patients who do not want to die...