THE VISION,VALUES, MISSION AND PHILOSOPHY
OF MARY POTTER HOSPICE

Our Vision
Our Values
Our Mission
Our Philosophy

Our Vision

Death is a part of life. For some, death and dying have become silent and unspoken realities. Few of us are prepared for their impact on individuals, families and friends. This lack of preparedness was very much in the mind of Mary Potter when she established the Little Company of Mary in 1877. It was the reason Mary Potter said to her congregation, "our special mission is the dying". It was Mary Potter's Little Company of Mary who gave our Hospice to the people of Wellington. Today, the vision of Mary Potter remains very much the vision of our Hospice.

Like Mary Potter, we respect the dignity and choice of every person. That is why our care will continue to encompass the whole person and their family. We care about their physical, emotional, spiritual and social wellbeing. In our vision, as in Mary Potter's, we acknowledge that quality of life remains important with the approach of death. The provision of high-quality care will not be dependent on people's ability to pay.

Our vision, like Mary Potter's, is that all people who are dying will receive high-quality care irrespective of their beliefs, background or where they may be. Our care will be available to all who need it. We support the right of people to die as they live. We will work with them to minimise their suffering.

In our vision we see people who are dying "making the most of life".

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Our Values

• Compassion
• Dignity
• Respect
• Hospitality
• Stewardship

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Our Mission

• To provide accessible high-quality care and support to people who are dying and their families through a hospice service that combines the skills of high-quality health professionals and volunteers
• To provide and promote best clinical practice that is research- and evidence-based for the care of people who are dying and their families
• To be a nationally and internationally recognised centre of excellence in the provision of hospice services and palliative care
• To support our vision with best business practice and clear accountability in both governance and management roles
• To finance our services through developing a robust base of mixed funding
• To provide care which encompasses the whole person with an interdisciplinary approach, and reflects our vision and values
• To work in an appropriate way with the Tangata Whenua and other peoples in a way that reflects the diversity of New Zealand society
• To respond to community needs and work in partnership to improve access and ensure service delivery is always appropriate
• To increase acknowledgement that our Hospice is a vital part of our community and a service that the community is willing and eager to support
  

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Definition
Palliative care improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.

Palliative care

• Provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms
• Affirms life and regards dying as a normal process
• Intends neither to hasten nor postpone death
• Integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of the patient
• Offers a support system to help patients live as actively and creatively as possible until death
• Offers a support system to help the family cope during the patient's illness and their own bereavement
• Uses a team approach to address the needs of patients and their families, including bereavement counselling if indicated
• Will enhance the quality of life, and may also positively influence the course of illness
• Is applicable early in the course of illness, in conjunction with other therapies that are intended to prolong life, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and includes those investigations needed to better understand and manage distressing clinical complications