14. Dr Richard Sloan

A former GP from the north of England, Dr Richard Sloan retrained in palliative medicine at St Christopher’s Hospice in London, and in early 1993 an advert for a new hospice in Dorset, still under construction, caught his eye. A visit to Dorset left him feeling excited about the project, as well the fact that the charity was thinking beyond the usual boundaries of hospice care. This included taking on conditions other than cancer, such as heart failure, respiratory diseases, Motor Neurone Disease, and others.

“It was also a bit nerve wracking,” admits Richard, “in that it wasn’t something that had been done much before. In those early days, Major John Greener was the instigator for the project and he had a clear vision for what he wanted for West Dorset. This included respite care for people with long term disabilities, in order to give their carers a break. The brand new building was also state of the art at the time, and John Greener, who himself had cancer at the time, was seeing it very much from a patients’ point of view – things like making sure the windowsills were low enough for people in beds to see outside into the gardens.”

“It’s hugely satisfying to think back on how we helped people who previously would really have struggled. I also really loved the camaraderie and being part of a team of multi-disciplinary professionals, and having a holistic assessment for each individual patient.”

Richard says that the 19th of January, 1994, is etched in his memory – the day the hospice opened its doors. “I did a lot of visiting GPs and hospitals in the area, and gradually the number of referrals began to increase. I let them know that we could take patients for symptom control, both physical and psychological distress. About 50% of people admitted were able to go home again, which was different from the misconception that hospice care is only there for the last days and weeks of life.”

Richard remained as the Medical Director until retiring in 2013, and still supports the work of the charity.