Content

11.1

Compassionate Sheffield is a programme of work
that aims to improve people’s experiences of death and
bereavement. It adopts a community development approach and since
its inception in August 2021, has gathered significant momentum
working alongside communities, health care agencies, Voluntary
Community and Faith (VCF) organisations and civic institutions,
building on the concept that death is primarily a social and
spiritual event, which may have medical implications.
 
This proposal aims to secure five years of
recurrent funding for the Compassionate Sheffield programme, so
that Sheffield continues to progress towards achieving the
“realistic utopia” described in the Lancet Commission:
Value of Death report by focusing on their five principles.
 
This proposal aims to secure one third of the
cost of the programme from Sheffield City Council’s Public
Health grant, namely £80,000 per year, recurrently for five
years.

 

 

11.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the
Communities, Parks and Leisure Policy Committee:-
 

(a) 
approves a grant award of £80,000 per year recurrently for
five years to St Luke’s Hospice (£400,000 in total) as
the Sheffield City Council contribution to the Compassionate
Sheffield programme as outlined in this report; and
 

(b) 
approves a one-off payment of £6,000 for St Luke’s
Hospice to organise and manage for Sheffield the COVID-19 Day of
Reflection 2025 as part of the UK wide collective
commemoration.

 

 

11.3

Reasons for
Decision

 

 

11.3.1

By approving this proposal, it will confirm
the Council’s commitment to our role within the Compassionate
Sheffield partnership and continue this vital work in improving
peoples experience of death and bereavement.

 

 

11.4

Alternatives
Considered and Rejected

 

 

11.4.1

Alternative option 1: Do nothing
– Stop the programme. If the programme were to stop now,
there would be very little chance of change and thus, the
medicalised approach to death would continue with its resultant
inequalities and unsustainable cost to the health and care
system.

 

 

11.4.2

Alternative option 2: Remove Sheffield
City Council as a partner and allow the project to be funded,
directed and delivered by the NHS and Hospice. Public Health have
been the key driver of work to date, there is a high risk of other
partners withdrawing from the programme

 

 

11.4.3

Alternative option 3: Continue with ad
hoc approach to funding – this does not allow the programme
or the wider system to plan properly for the future and takes staff
time away from the programme to focus on applying for funding. It
also runs the risk of losing staff who require stability to
maintain their commitment to this emotionally challenging work.