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Improving people’s experience of death, caring and grief in Gateshead
Death is part of life and affects us all, yet most of us find it very difficult to talk about or know who to turn to for help. Compassionate Gateshead is a network that exists to improve people’s experiences of death, caring and grief in Gateshead. This partnership approach is a pilot that will explore how to better resource, connect and support organisations and individuals to be more confident in talking about death and knowing where and how to access help.
We want to hear from you
Whatever your life experience or role we want to hear from you about how Compassionate Gateshead can improve your experience or understanding of death, dying, loss or grief.
We recognise that care for one another at times of crisis and loss is not a task solely for health and social services. Most of the care and support for people who are dying is provided by family, friends or their wider community or connections who are often not trained, experienced or confident in dealing with death. People who are more socially isolated are particularly vulnerable at this time and will rely more heavily on ‘professional’ services that may not always be immediately available, appropriate or easily accessible for them.
Therefore, if we were all a little more connected, informed, aware or practiced in knowing how to help and who to access support from, small acts of kindness could make a big difference.
Our aims
Compassionate Gateshead aims to do the following between April 2025 – March 2026
Listen
Consult with a wide range of people to gather their views and experiences.
Map
Understand and record what services and support is available for people who are dying, providing care or grieving.
Connect
Convene forums to share wisdom and learning from a wide range of people doing similar work, helping them to work together to solve local challenges.
Gather
Present the findings of our consultation and our plans for the next 5 years creating an event to raise the profile and awareness of this work.
Amplify
Raise awareness of the support available for people who are dying, providing care or grieving in Gateshead and how to access it.
Share
Set up a regional special interest forum to connect and exchange learning with similar work in other areas in the North East.
About us
The Compassionate Gateshead pilot is a partnership between NHS North East and North Cumbria, Edberts House (a Community Development charity focussed on addressing health inequality) and Compassionate Communities (the national network of similar work in the UK).
Dr. Elizabeth Woods
Consultant in Palliative Medicine
Sarah Gorman
CEO Edberts House