Article by The Inverness Courier.
Unsatisfied with end-of-life care in Inverness, in 1983, Cecilia Bottomley and Flora Mackay had the idea to open a hospice. In February 1987, Highland Hospice opened its doors to its first patient. As Highland Hospice prepares to celebrate its 40th birthday next year, it is still the only hospice service in the Highlands & Islands, offering care, support and advice to people who are living with a terminal illness, approaching the end of life, or experiencing bereavement.
The hospice delivers specialist palliative and end-of-life care in its 11-bed Inpatient Unit in Inverness, as well as providing a wide range of therapies and support for outpatients and people living throughout the Highlands. Other services include a 24/7 helpline providing advice, support and information for patients, families and carers, bereavement support for adults, young people and children; and a flexible home care service enabling people nearing the end of life to either remain at home or return home from hospital.
As she prepares to model at the Catwalk for a Cause event next year, Flora has been reflecting on her time establishing Highland Hospice.
Flora qualified as a nurse in 1970, soon moving to Fife. She became aware that palliative care was almost non-existent.
“Over the years I worked in general surgery and came across a lot of people suffering from cancer. And even back then the treatment was very difficult to do in general surgery wards.
“When I first came across the mention of a hospice, everybody had their hands up in the air with a look of horror. Oh, it’s a place to die!”
The feeling that end-of-life care was not good enough persisted when Flora returned to the Highlands to work in Culduthel Hospital.
“In the early ‘80s, I worked in a general surgical ward, and came across a lot of patients with malignancies. I didn’t think the end-of-life care was good enough. There weren’t any facilities. Sometimes it was very difficult for patients to think: ‘Am I going to get out of here?”
One lady in particular proved to Flora that hospice care was the way forward. “A very young lady was discovered to be terminally ill whilst she was pregnant. Against medical advice, she went on with the pregnancy, had the baby, and then eventually came to us. She was terminally ill in an open ward.
“We felt it was awful. So eventually we got her into a single room where she could have her home comforts. So a duvet, for example. Her family were really grateful.
“I thought ‘this is just not good enough.’ Some of them were very young with children. So I looked into the prospect of starting a hospice in the Highlands.”
Flora had seen enough, and began the long process of establishing Highland Hospice in 1983. “My neighbour Cecilia stayed across the road from me and she came in one day and I had my living room completely covered in letters. I thought ‘where do I start?’ So I started off getting in touch with work colleagues, surgeons, GPs.”
For Flora and Cecilia, establishing the hospice was not smooth sailing, and took five years to get off the ground.
“In my naivety I thought ‘oh it’ll be easy enough to do.’ It was a lot of work. We had to educate, for want of a better word, the people of the Highlands and explain to them what a hospice was.
“We had quite a bit of resistance sometimes. There was a taboo against the word ‘hospice’ at first. People thought, you know, ‘it’s a place to die.’ But it’s not. It’s a place where there is hope.” “It was unbelievable to think that all the struggle of the five years had come to fruition.”
The hospice was not the only new addition to Flora’s life in 1987; that year, her son was born. “I actually had to take a back step because five years of my life was the hospice. Five years eating, sleeping, breathing the hospice.”
She worked for Marie Curie before retiring, where she solidified the close relationship with Highland Hospice, making patients aware of all the services on offer.
Flora Mackay and Cecilia Bottomley remained firm friends, and watched as the hospice grew from strength to strength. “We always met up and she was absolutely overwhelmed with what the hospice had become.” In 2018, the two fundraising vans were named Flora and Cecilia after the charity’s founders, a nod to the ladies who made it all possible.
Sadly, Mrs Bottomley passed away in 2020, the day before her 67th birthday. She was in the care of Highland Hospice.
In celebration of Highland Hospice’s 40th birthday, Flora and her daughter will model in the Catwalk for a Cause fundraising event in February. High-end outfits and accessories are selected from Highland Hospice charity shops. Last year the event raised almost £130,000.
Models share personal experiences of terminal illness, and Flora will talk about her experience in founding Highland Hospice: “If my nerves will hold up!” Catwalk for a Cause 2027, organised by Alison McRitchie and sponsored by The Head Gardener, Mary MacFarlane Financial Planning and Heather’s Heroes will be held on February 5 and 6 at the Drumossie Hotel, Inverness.
Tickets are £70 each and include arrival drinks with canapés and a two-course evening meal.
