It’s been a jam-packed few months at Fitzroy Community Hospice with incredible achievements across the entire facility.
Firstly, the second stage of our development is complete! Head over to our Facebook page to see photos of our 12th patient room and the new self-contained, 2-bedroom unit. These new areas downstairs expand our capacity to care for terminally ill patients and their families.
In May we achieved Accreditation through the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards. The three-year accreditation is provided by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) and recognises our dedication to patient safety and our continuing commitment to quality improvement. It was an intense process that took months of preparation, and we are enormously proud of this achievement by our hardworking team.
Throughout June, we proudly celebrated the first anniversary of admitting our first patient. We reflected on how many people’s lives we’ve changed for the better, at one of life’s most difficult stages. We’ve run the numbers and here are our first 12 months of admissions statistics:
- 191 patients admitted
- 201 total admissions (a small number of patients were admitted more than once)
- 60% of admissions related to a terminal cancer diagnosis.
The first graph tells the story of what we do at Fitzroy Community Hospice. While most of our patients come for End-of-life care (83%), patients are also admitted for Respite (to give their carers time and space to rest, breathe and recharge – 9%), or Symptom Management (these patients can be discharged to go home once their condition has stabilised – 8%).
The second graph shows that our patients came to us from all over Central and South East Queensland. This is because our facility is open to all adults diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, who are Central Queenslanders at heart and want to be closer to home during their final stages of life.
What an incredibly rewarding first year of operations it has been. Thank you to our community for supporting us and following along on our journey.
Introducing new Bereavement Support Services
We are pleased to be extending our Bereavement Support Services. On Tuesday 5 August we will host our first ‘Cuppa & Chat’ Bereavement Drop-In Session. These new fortnightly sessions will provide a welcoming space for people to talk and share their feelings, receive guidance, and connect with others who understand the journey of grief. Whether you’ve experienced loss recently or in the past, everyone is welcome. Going forward, these sessions will be held on the first and third Tuesday of every month.
Our regular Remembrance Services continue to be well attended by the loved ones of our patients who have passed away. We are honoured to be a source of comfort and reassurance for all people experiencing bereavement.
DATE CLAIMER: Cuppa & Chat Drop-In Session
- Tuesday 5 August
- 10am – 11.30am
- Loreto Hall
- No bookings required, just come along.
Celebrating One Year of Caring for Central Queenslanders
We proudly held our One Year Milestone Celebration in Loreto Hall last month. It was a wonderful evening of reflection and connection with representatives from our Founding Partners and other key stakeholders in attendance. Our CEO Beth Thomas and Board Chair Korin Jensen spoke about the positive impact the Hospice has made in Central Queensland during our first 12 months in operation, and we heard from Olga Graham who passionately described the care she and her dearly departed husband Gavin received, and how we changed their lives for the better.
It was a wonderful evening shared with the many special people who helped us achieve this significant milestone.
Fundraising Wrap-up
Our hearts are full from the overwhelming support we have received in recent months through the fundraising efforts of our team and third-party community groups. We raised an incredible total of $92,181.78 through our annual Hoist for Hospice fundraiser in May, and Wendy Cole blew us away by raising $27,015.54 to become our highest individual fundraiser. This is always a fun time and we truly appreciate the support from everybody, especially our major sponsor CQ Crane Hire and our hosts JRT Group. Plans are already being discussed for our 2026 event where we hope to reach the magical mark of $100,000 raised through this one-of-a-kind FUNdraiser.
We were also lucky to be a chosen charity for Classics by the Coast 2025 held in May, and we are so grateful to the organisers, All Classic Motor Club CQ for donating an incredible $10,000 to the Hospice. Thank you ACMC!
If you are interested in hosting your own fundraiser for the Hospice, email us at fundraising@fitzroyhospice.org.au. We would love to hear from you!
Dying To Know Day
Have you thought about your final wishes? Have you got your will sorted?
Fitzroy Community Hospice will be spreading community awareness this August about having mindful conversations about death, dying and grief. Dying to Know Day (8 August) is a national campaign that inspires you to begin to prepare for the inevitable, not with fear, but with purpose, love, and a sense of legacy.
We encourage you to feel comfortable talking to a family member about end-of-life.
Let’s embrace our precious life now. Let’s live intentionally.
Upcoming Events
Hole Sponsorships are still available and Team Entries are NOW OPEN!
Register Your Team
Please contact our Community Engagement Coordinator on louisec@fitzroyhospice.org.au for more information on sponsorships.
Volunteering Heroes
We celebrated National Volunteers Week in May with a morning tea on the verandah of Loreto Hall. It was a great opportunity for many of our volunteers to meet each other, as they are often all at the Hospice at different times. We’re so proud of the wonderful proactive team of volunteers we have contributing to the Hospice.
As always, we continue to seek out volunteers to help us. To find out more about volunteering or to download a Volunteer Application Form, click here.
