New Year's marks Honour for East Cheshire Hospice Director from Macclesfield
By Alex Greensmith
4th Jan 2023 | Local News
A Macclesfield woman has been recognised by King Charles III.
East Cheshire Hospice Director and nurse, Sarah Dale, has been awarded a British Empire Medal in the King's New Year Honours list for services to palliative and end of life care.
Sarah, from Macclesfield, has played a significant role in the development of the Hospice over the past 17 years, experience that she put to good use by creating a Hospice @Home service which proved indispensable during the pandemic.
Starting as a hospice nurse back in October 2005, Sarah's dedication and endless reserves of compassion made her a perfect fit for work in palliative and end of life care. As she rose through the clinical grades, she gained insights from patients and family members which would help inform her practice as a leader and her skill in developing high quality, highly effective services for the people of Cheshire and beyond.
Promoted to Director of Quality and Innovation in 2017, Sarah continues to work tirelessly to ensure people at end of life get the best possible care, not just for the communities in northeast Cheshire but nationwide, as she supports other hospices to develop their care services. Knowing how tight budgets are for charities and the NHS, Sarah was undaunted by the prospect of having to help raise the money to get services off the ground. This meant a hike up the Himalayas with a stint helping out at an end of life facility in Kathmandu.
Her work recently has been to champion equality, diversity and inclusion in end of life care to guarantee that no one is excluded from accessing the services they need when and where they need them.
Sarah is married to Paul, a Mental Health Nurse, and they have two grown up daughters as well as a host of pets to look after. An accomplished cook, host and cake maker, Sarah's creations have lit up many joyful gatherings at home and at the Hospice.
On hearing the news of the honour, Sarah said: "I was shocked when I opened the mail from the Cabinet Office; to be honest I thought it might be a hoax."
"Once it sank in, I realised what a privilege it is to receive this award and I feel honoured that the work my colleagues and I have done to improve palliative care services for patients and families in east Cheshire has received such recognition.
"I'm always delighted for any opportunity to shine a light on the important work being carried out at the Hospice and my hope is that we can share learning and service models with our friends in our local healthcare system as well as other hospices so the work we are doing can have an even wider impact."
Karyn Johnston, East Cheshire Hospice Chief Executive, said:
"I can't think of anyone more deserving of such recognition than Sarah. She has given her all in the service of people facing the toughest challenge of their life, as well as to her colleagues, friends and family. We who have the privilege of working with her every day know how truly fortunate we are.
"What she has achieved for end of life patients and families in east Cheshire, as well as within the other hospices she supports, proves her commitment to making quality compassionate community care available to everyone who needs it."
Prior to her 18-year spell at the Millbank Drive good cause, Sarah also worked for Bupa in Macclesfield and at Macclesfield District General Hospital.
The Prestbury resident also went to university in Cheshire, at the University of Chester.
East Cheshire Hospice provide support for those affected by life-limiting illnesses. They were established in 1987.
You can donate to them here.
Elsewhere in Honours news, a centenarian from our area became the oldest in the country as part of King Charles III's first New Year's Honours list.
Click here to read that story.
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