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Post by linda wallace on Feb 28, 2012 12:58:18 GMT 1
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Post by tiddles on Feb 28, 2012 14:22:00 GMT 1
I hope these shops are saved but I simply cannot see EWM having shops here. Their shops are upmarket and let's face it, Greenock and Port Glasgow are VERY downmarket.
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Post by linda wallace on Feb 28, 2012 16:13:57 GMT 1
i wonder if the staff will be offered their jobs back........
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Post by tiddles on Feb 28, 2012 16:28:03 GMT 1
Even that's debatable. Very sad.
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Post by myfindhorn on Feb 28, 2012 18:05:06 GMT 1
Went in to the Ardgowan hospital over at the fire station to get a few book 2 for a pound had just dropped 2 bags of books into them and hey I was informed that the hardback books were now 1 pound each.........I put them back and explained that all the books I get from here I bring back for them to sell again.......................we need the money for the hospice, aye said I and I need my money too.
So from now on my books will be on offer at greenockfreecycle, as for their newly fitted out shop in Kilblane st, their paperbacks are 80p each and the shop is not doing good trade.
Most people in Greenock have to watch their pennies and usually shop in charity shops, those places are now businesses, helping themselves.
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Post by myfindhorn on Feb 28, 2012 18:06:57 GMT 1
Oops it is Ardgowan hospital shop.............................my brain is way ahead of my fingers
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Post by tiddles on Feb 28, 2012 18:40:41 GMT 1
The Hospice is getting FAR too big for its boots.
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Post by myfindhorn on Feb 28, 2012 19:38:54 GMT 1
Aye Tiddles and no harm to anyone but I am still alive and, need to survive long enought to die, so here is hoping that it will be a long time if ever, that I will need the hospice.
The wee shopper is stung rotten and the big boys get dinner and dances, however we all die with nothing in the end and that is equality in all that breathes.
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Post by tiddles on Feb 28, 2012 22:52:46 GMT 1
The Hospice is not my favourite organisation at the moment. I don't mean the good souls who actually care for the patients, I mean the grasping, aspiring and creepy people who now seem to have taken over. It'll be time for an investigation soon I think and the resulting facts will be difficult to swallow. You heard it here first chums.
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Post by samfregreenock on Feb 28, 2012 23:44:04 GMT 1
Aye Tiddles and no harm to anyone but I am still alive and, need to survive long enought to die, so here is hoping that it will be a long time if ever, that I will need the hospice. The wee shopper is stung rotten and the big boys get dinner and dances, however we all die with nothing in the end and that is equality in all that breathes. The dinners and dances are open to all, you just need to buy a ticket. These functions are not free. They are designed as functions to raise money at, at the raffles and auctions that take place at them. Not really my cup-of-tea but they do raise a large some of money, that's why charities have them I remember the mater & pater used to attend the Red Cross Ball every year, they and their friends would give it the full black tie bit (hired in those days) and long goons furra wummins - it wiz the highlight of their year, again it wiz open to anyone, all you had to do was buy a ticket. They and their friends were not posh or well aff in any way, it was something they enjoyed As ah said not altogether my thing, who cares as long as the cause is raising money - no need to get yer dander up about it, |
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Post by moonshadow on Feb 29, 2012 12:07:20 GMT 1
What is getting me is the increases in “charity” door stop donations I get about 6 of the bin bags throe my door every week I work for a charity and do a lot of work with the OSCR the Scottish equivalent of the charity commotion and it is the amount of companies that are doing it “on behalf of charity’s” I have the “we do not donate on our door step” sticker on my door but that’s just ignored
And our books are minimum donation 50 P for all kids’ books free
But it’s in barrhead so a bit of a trek for a wee book
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Post by moonshadow on Feb 29, 2012 12:10:23 GMT 1
As for the charity balls they are more geared towards the ra ra hockey stick brigade that want to help the little people. And for companies to buy a table (normally £1,000 for 10 spaces) it is designed for a licence to print money with the raffles auctions and the like
If it gets money to the charity and that money is put too good use then batter on
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Post by tiddles on Feb 29, 2012 16:38:04 GMT 1
Sammy I agree that there have to be fundraising exercises but we always hear GROSS figures, never NET. What the hell is the point of raising say, £5000.00 when it cost £3800 to set up?
In the last few years the Hospice has changed totally from the place it was when I first went into practice here. In the mid to late 80s, if you had someone who was terminally ill and in great pain, all you had to do is make a referral and the poor soul was allowed to end their days free from pain in caring surroundings with their families. Sure it was busy and a lot of juggling had to be done but it worked. Money was always tight but the people of Inverclyde and beyond were and are generous.
The organisation was run by good people with backgrounds in business and medicine and there were one of two accountants. Most gave of their services free.
Suddenly it was announced with great fanfare that the Hospice is to be extended. We all got on our knees with gratitude that is until we learned that it was not going to be an extension as such. Literally £millions were lavished on a new building on the site of the old St Luke’s church hall. We all asked what it was to be if not an extension but we were branded as heretics for even asking. This magnificent edifice was not for more beds, here’s what it is:
“A wealth of developments followed over the years, including a brand new build to house our innovative ACCESS at Ardgowan. ACCESS was opened by Prince Charles on July 13th, 2001. We remain the only Hospice in Scotland to offer this type of support for patients and carers at any point in their illness.”
Ask yourself why the other BIG hospices don’t have, “this type of support”? Is it because they feel the primary objective of a hospice is to provide end of life, palliative care and not, “innovative” facilities.
Take a look at some of the things this ACCESS place offers:
“stress management, relaxation, hypnotherapy, yoga, exercise programmes and Tai chi, available for patients and carers”
“I’m so sorry Mrs McTrumpet that you’ve lost all your hair and are in exquisite pain but look, let us clap some rid hot chuckies tae yer arse and make ye dae wee dances. Whit dae ye mean it doesn’t help? It’s helping me so shut it. Well how about a wee bus run tae Balloch. Ye’d like that and we’ll take a sick bowl wae us.” Trite? Snide? Offensive? I f*****g hope so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Well now, Mrs McTrumpet (now and inpatient), you’ve been here quite while now and you’ve been disingenuous enough not to die so we are sending you up to Kincaid House to get on with it. What is Kincaid House? Well it’s a big privately owned ( a company called, Meallmore or Mealticket or Mealworm) , ‘granny farm’ in Greenock that we have a wee deal with, well there is a recession on and we have to spread the wealth about. It’s where we send the annoying gits who’ll not die in time. Now off you go and die there Mrs McTrumpet and don’t dare ask me again if there are any properly trained an qualified nurses 24 hours a day and a resident specialist doctor. And don’t be alarmed at the sign above the door that says, ‘Abandon Hope all Ye Who Enter Here’. It’s true but it’s none of your business, it's BIG business.
“Dear Dr ********, We are sorry that you are unhappy about the way in which your patient, Mrs McTrumpet was treated whilst in our care at Ardgowan Hospice. We always strive to achieve the very best in terms of end of life therapy. We are sorry to hear that you were displeased about Mrs McTrumpet being, “dumped” as you put it in, “an unsuitable granny farm”. We can assure you that Ardgowan Hospice always ensures that its service providers adhere to the highest standards of care as laid down in the Code of Practice.
We note that Mrs McTrumpet has not seen fit to complain about or services but just in case she does, we have a team of six managers, two clerks and a sheep dog called, ‘Tit’ standing by at her graveside if she cares to make her feelings known. We are having a Tartan Ball at Buckingham Palace just to pay for it. Tickets are £2000.00. ‘Tit’ the dog will be in attendance to give advice on how to ease intense agony by scratching your nether regions and licking your arse.
OK, OK, I added the last bit but most of the letter is verbatim, names have been changed to protect the shat upon.
Bottom line:
ACCESS should NEVER have been built, it's no more than empire building shite that ignores what hospices are meant to do.
BASTARDS
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Post by samfregreenock on Feb 29, 2012 17:01:42 GMT 1
Sammy I agree that there have to be fundraising exercises but we always hear GROSS figures, never NET. What the hell is the point of raising say, £5000.00 when it cost £3800 to set up? In the last few years the Hospice has changed totally from the place it was when I first went into practice here. In the mid to late 80s, if you had someone who was terminally ill and in great pain, all you had to do is make a referral and the poor soul was allowed to end their days free from pain in caring surroundings with their families. Sure it was busy and a lot of juggling had to be done but it worked. Money was always tight but the people of Inverclyde and beyond were and are generous. The organisation was run by good people with backgrounds in business and medicine and there were one of two accountants. Most gave of their services free. Suddenly it was announced with great fanfare that the Hospice is to be extended. We all got on our knees with gratitude that is until we learned that it was not going to be an extension as such. Literally £millions were lavished on a new building on the site of the old St Luke’s church hall. We all asked what it was to be if not an extension but we were branded as heretics for even asking. This magnificent edifice was not for more beds, here’s what it is: “A wealth of developments followed over the years, including a brand new build to house our innovative ACCESS at Ardgowan. ACCESS was opened by Prince Charles on July 13th, 2001. We remain the only Hospice in Scotland to offer this type of support for patients and carers at any point in their illness.” Ask yourself why the other BIG hospices don’t have, “this type of support”? Is it because they feel the primary objective of a hospice is to provide end of life, palliative care and not, “innovative” facilities. Take a look at some of the things this ACCESS place offers: “stress management, relaxation, hypnotherapy, yoga, exercise programmes and Tai chi, available for patients and carers” “I’m so sorry Mrs McTrumpet that you’ve lost all your hair and are in exquisite pain but look, let us clap some rid hot chuckies tae yer arse and make ye dae wee dances. Whit dae ye mean it doesn’t help? It’s helping me so shut it. Well how about a wee bus run tae Balloch. Ye’d like that and we’ll take a sick bowl wae us.” Trite? Snide? Offensive? I f*****g hope so!!!!!!!!!!!!!! “Well now, Mrs McTrumpet (now and inpatient), you’ve been here quite while now and you’ve been disingenuous enough not to die so we are sending you up to Kincaid House to get on with it. What is Kincaid House? Well it’s a big privately owned ( a company called, Meallmore or Mealticket or Mealworm) , ‘granny farm’ in Greenock that we have a wee deal with, well there is a recession on and we have to spread the wealth about. It’s where we send the annoying gits who’ll not die in time. Now off you go and die there Mrs McTrumpet and don’t dare ask me again if there are any properly trained an qualified nurses 24 hours a day and a resident specialist doctor. And don’t be alarmed at the sign above the door that says, ‘Abandon Hope all Ye Who Enter Here’. It’s true but it’s none of your business, it's BIG business. “Dear Dr ********, We are sorry that you are unhappy about the way in which your patient, Mrs McTrumpet was treated whilst in our care at Ardgowan Hospice. We always strive to achieve the very best in terms of end of life therapy. We are sorry to hear that you were displeased about Mrs McTrumpet being, “dumped” as you put it in, “an unsuitable granny farm”. We can assure you that Ardgowan Hospice always ensures that its service providers adhere to the highest standards of care as laid down in the Code of Practice. We note that Mrs McTrumpet has not seen fit to complain about or services but just in case she does, we have a team of six managers, two clerks and a sheep dog called, ‘Tit’ standing by at her graveside if she cares to make her feelings known. We are having a Tartan Ball at Buckingham Palace just to pay for it. Tickets are £2000.00. ‘Tit’ the dog will be in attendance to give advice on how to ease intense agony by scratching your nether regions and licking your arse. OK, OK, I added the last bit but most of the letter is verbatim, names have been changed to protect the shat upon. Bottom line: ACCESS should NEVER have been built, it's no more than empire building shite that ignores what hospices are meant to do. BASTARDS LOL By the way do I detect a wee note of cynicism in your post? There's something there but I jist cannae put ma finger on it  |
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Post by tiddles on Feb 29, 2012 17:02:38 GMT 1
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Post by samfregreenock on Feb 29, 2012 17:03:25 GMT 1
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Post by myfindhorn on Feb 29, 2012 17:04:40 GMT 1
Tiddles, after reading that , it makes me feel quite sad for all the carers who are exhausted and for the patients who are used to a end. My mother was looked after at home and she was a very sick woman and because of all her illness's it was thought best that she would go into Dunrod unit. MY brother and I never missed a visit , bought her things that she loved to eat or have, made our visits count, would sit outside and have wee picnics, our time was precious but she needed to be close to doctors because of her illness's.
I had a few run ins with the staff, but they soon realised she was a patient not a prisoner, but my heart went out to the patients who were forgotten, who gave them a cuddle.
Sam the hospice was built from the money that the unemployed , pensioners, and everyday hardup workers, we were used as a stepping stone to where the hospice is now, and they will soon find out the saying of "look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves " they are biting the hand that feeds them and ,if they don't need us, tell us , so we can stop donating. I am sure there are other places that have needs to.
Anyway, from now on the Salvation army can have my donation and greenockfreecycle, as for the Tele well instead of paying for a memorial for my mam and dad, I give the money to the Salvation army for their xmas treats, besides the sound of their tambourines give the heart a lift.
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Post by myfindhorn on Feb 29, 2012 17:11:37 GMT 1
Tiddles, if you have the time could you give me the name of a condition where a child is born where some parts of the brain is undeveloped and causes the child to feel no real pain and they think that nothing can harm them, their sense of feeling in the body is minute.
Can't find the name anywhere and its driving me nuts
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Post by samfregreenock on Feb 29, 2012 17:12:53 GMT 1
Tiddles, after reading that , it makes me feel quite sad for all the carers who are exhausted and for the patients who are used to a end. My mother was looked after at home and she was a very sick woman and because of all her illness's it was thought best that she would go into Dunrod unit. MY brother and I never missed a visit , bought her things that she loved to eat or have, made our visits count, would sit outside and have wee picnics, our time was precious but she needed to be close to doctors because of her illness's. I had a few run ins with the staff, but they soon realised she was a patient not a prisoner, but my heart went out to the patients who were forgotten, who gave them a cuddle. Sam the hospice was built from the money that the unemployed , pensioners, and everyday hardup workers, we were used as a stepping stone to where the hospice is now, and they will soon find out the saying of "look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves " they are biting the hand that feeds them and ,if they don't need us, tell us , so we can stop donating. I am sure there are other places that have needs to. Anyway, from now on the Salvation army can have my donation and greenockfreecycle, as for the Tele well instead of paying for a memorial for my mam and dad, I give the money to the Salvation army for their xmas treats, besides the sound of their tambourines give the heart a lift. Many folks rich & poor donated to the hospice and still do, all their donations are welcome - it matters not a jot the wealth of the person who is donating but the fact that they are. Having been involved in fund-raising for a local charity, I couldn't give a toss who the people were that donated were - it was all welcome It's only common sense that if you want a huge chunk of dosh, you have to go to who can afford that - Sir William Lithgow used to be one of our benefactors along with the Ferguson Brothers and Frasers Transport(when they were based in Port Glasgow) We used to tap the ex-pat community to because they had the disposable income too Sponsored stuff and jumble sales and coffee mornings kept us in everyday running costs but, as I said above, if you needed big bucks you had to go to the people wae ra big bucks |
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Post by myfindhorn on Feb 29, 2012 17:34:35 GMT 1
This is true sam , but it seems that charity shops dont want a quick turnover, personally their prices are getting a wee bit steep for most peoples pockets.
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Post by tiddles on Feb 29, 2012 18:01:43 GMT 1
There's a good argument for using corporate methods to run a large or burgeoning organisation. However, when we are dealing with a small, local charity, there has to be a more accountable and accessible way of running things.
I saw it all begin years ago when they started seeking, 'Chief Executives' and 'Fundraising Directors' then slowly but inexorably OUR Hospice became a, 'mini-corporation'. Nice wee ladies who served in the shops were replaced by paid staff. All decisions were taken at, 'corporate' level. Somewhere in the middle of this, the ACTUAL hospice in the old Eye Infirmary seemed to be getting lost.
I don't know who or what decided that we needed an ACCESS facility. I know for bloody certain that if I had just been diagnosed with a terminal illness I would not find being plumped into the company of poor souls who are nearing the end and looking it. It would a be vision of my fate that I would not really like to have played out in my face. I can tell you now that no amount of hypnotherapy or Ryeki stones or Jujitsu or Toshiba dancing would help me. Some people might need psychotherapy but they should only have it from qualified clinical psychologists and not some bumptious arse who has done a counselling class at JWC. If there are any spare real psychologists kicking about, let me know.
The last thing my family would need if I was going down the tubes would be an army of do-gooding wuzzocks all offering advice and little sessions in the, 'quiet room'.
Instead of building ACCESS, a new purpose-built facility should have been created, preferably near to the IRH where adequate emergency care and shared specialities would be available 24hrs a day.
Just where Kincaid House comes in I am not sure but I can tell you categorically that it is entirely unsuited for palliative, terminal care and its use as such is appalling.
The Hospice tells us that it costs £2.4 million per year to operate the service with 40% of that being covered by NHSGG&C. The rest has to be found. I am willing to bet that ACCESS and admin accounts for the bulk of that and if that is the case, someone should be held to account.
We have in the past, given items to the warehouse at East Blackhall Street but we would think very carefully before we did it again. Someone needs to shine light into the dark corners of Ardgowan Hospice Plc and there need's to be a winnowing out of the dead (pardon the pun) wood.
Bring me the head of the ARSE or ARSES who conceived the ACCESS project!!!
BASTARDS X 100
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Post by tiddles on Feb 29, 2012 18:07:22 GMT 1
Horn I would describe the condition as being, neuro-cognitive anaesthesia but there are dozens of rare conditions that can create this situation.
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Post by myfindhorn on Feb 29, 2012 18:11:21 GMT 1
Ah! but you know as well as me that it is the usual jobs for the boys, and I agree, to hell with dying to the sound of traffic belting up and down a main rd.
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Post by tiddles on Feb 29, 2012 18:35:21 GMT 1
To be honest Sammy, I don't know that I'd mind if someone like you were in charge but we seem to have lost sight of what the whole thing is about and people are REALLY suffering because of the way things are at the moment. These days I have cajole, wheedle and rant to get someone into the Hospice and they will never give me an assurance that the patient won't be off-loaded to Deathco up at Oakfield Terrace.
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Post by samfregreenock on Feb 29, 2012 18:45:36 GMT 1
This is true sam , but it seems that charity shops dont want a quick turnover, personally their prices are getting a wee bit steep for most peoples pockets. Depends what you mean by "most people" and also charity shops vary in their target markets too. I used to trawl charity shops looking for certain items (annuals, commando comics, corgi/dinky cars etc) - but these are now few and far between - even in the likes of the posher areas like the west end of glasgow. My view of charity shops has changed too, they are shops selling stuff on behalf of the respective charity - it doesn't have to be second hand gear - I would expect them to sell anything that brings the dosh in There's an Oxfam shop in Byres Rd that only sells books (for example) and it has thousands of them, presented in a bookshop/library type format. |
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Post by myfindhorn on Feb 29, 2012 19:41:06 GMT 1
They also sell on ebay,
anyway I have put in a thread called Sounds of the Clyde, this is a book of poems written by Agnes Dick, a collection of her poems were sold in the aid of the Ardgowan hospital, only 140 copies were printed are were all sold out.
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Post by linda wallace on Feb 29, 2012 20:13:09 GMT 1
when the access building was finished i got a shock to find out there were NO beds in it....i thought like a lot of folks it was wards with beds not offices.......i agree tidds, we need a new place purpose built
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Never 