SLCVO Blog 30 January

This week we highlight new collaborations supporting cancer bereavement, update on the Community Outreach Hub project, and shine a spotlight on vital local services shaping community wellbeing.

Third Sector Support Services

This week, Michelle has been busy working on our Service User Survey and Membership Review, along with planning our spring training week at the start of March.

She has also been reviewing the updated UK‑wide Charities Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting (SORP) that officially came into effect at the start of the year. We will be issuing practical guidance for local groups in the next few weeks, as the changes apply to accounting periods starting on or after 1st January 2026. .

If you’d like to check whether your group is currently a member, or if you’re interested in joining, email info@slcvo.org.uk and we’ll follow it up.

For more information about SORP visit OSCR website https://www.oscr.org.uk/news/video-introducing-the-charities-sorp-2026/  and the Charities SORP  website https://www.charitysorp.org/

Befrienders Skye and Lochalsh

Matt and Jo-Anne met with Pamela Rose from Skye Cancer Care (and local Macmillan nurse) to explore how our Befriending Service can support the group’s work, particularly for individuals and families navigating cancer bereavement. This partnership feels especially meaningful, as Jo-Anne went through cancer treatment last year and the team understands firsthand how many families in our area are deeply affected by cancer.

Matt will now lead on developing new initiatives that focus on peer gatherings, gentle activities, and supportive spaces for those affected by cancer bereavement. Over the coming weeks, he will begin speaking with those who have experienced bereavement to have open conversations about what types of support, connection, or activities they would find most meaningful. He will also work with Highland Hospice's Crocus service who are also a partners of the Skye and Lochalsh Community Outreach Hubs.

If you would like to be involved in shaping a new initiative or find out more about our befriender service email Matthew Davis, befrienders@slcvo.org.uk 

Skye Cancer Care

Skye Cancer Care is a local SCIO dedicated to supporting people affected by cancer and other life‑limiting conditions, along with their families and carers. They work to enhance palliative care across Skye and Lochalsh by funding specialist training for local doctors, nurses and other practitioners, ensuring the community benefits from skilled, compassionate care close to home.

The charity also provides essential equipment—such as pressure‑relieving mattresses, sliding sheets, and even specialist items like a vein finder for the chemotherapy unit in Broadford Hospital—helping improve comfort and dignity for individuals receiving care. In addition, Skye Cancer Care supports improvements in care environments, including the refurbishment of a dedicated room in Portree Hospital to create a more homely and supportive space.

Most referrals for support come through health professionals, but the organisation welcomes anyone in the community to get in touch if they recognise a specific need. Their overarching purpose is the relief of suffering and distress among people in Skye and Lochalsh affected directly or indirectly by cancer or other serious conditions, ensuring compassionate support remains accessible within the local area

Find out more about Skye Cancer Care here https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064323207219

Macmillan Nurse Support Across Skye & Lochalsh

Macmillan Nurses play a vital role in supporting people across Skye and Lochalsh who are living with cancer, offering specialist clinical guidance, emotional support and help navigating treatment. In our area, the Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) service provides personalised advice, works closely with Highland Hospice to ensure joined‑up care, and helps coordinate end‑of‑life support through local community nursing teams and hospitals. A Macmillan nurse also delivers some chemotherapy treatments at the local community hospital, reducing the need for long journeys to Inverness—a crucial lifeline for people living in remote rural communities. This service is based within NHS Highland and is connected Broadford and Portree Hospitals, ensuring that people across Skye and Lochalsh can access specialist cancer support as close to home as possible.

Find out more about Macmillan nurses here https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/get-help/macmillan-nurses

Cancer Research UK – Isle of Skye Branch

The Cancer Research UK Isle of Skye Branch is a dedicated local volunteer group raising funds to support life‑saving cancer research through Cancer Research UK. Their Facebook page showcases community fundraising events, raffles, and local initiatives that bring people together to support vital research and awareness efforts. The Skye branch continues to find creative ways to involve the community—whether through seasonal raffles, sponsored activities, or awareness campaigns—ensuring that every penny raised helps drive progress in preventing, diagnosing, and treating cancer.

Find out more about the Isle of Skye Branch here https://www.facebook.com/CRUKIsleOfSkye

Crocus Highland: Bereavement Support for Children and Young People

Highland Hospice’s Crocus Highland service provides free bereavement support for children and young people aged 5–18 across the Highlands, offering a safe space to understand and express grief after the loss of someone close. The service helps children and young people make sense of what has happened, meet others their age who are also grieving, and explore their feelings through creative, hands‑on activities designed to help them talk, reflect and begin to heal.

Crocus will be a key partner in the Skye and Lochalsh Community Outreach Hubs, visiting the area each month to provide specialist bereavement support for children and young people. As soon as the hub details are confirmed, we’ll share more information.

If you’d like to learn more about Crocus or refer a child for support, please visit: https://highlandhospice.org/what-we-do/community-services/bereavement-services/crocus

Health, Welfare and Wellbeing Collaboration

Jo‑Anne’s focus this week has been moving the Skye and Lochalsh Community Outreach Hub project into its next phase, following the successful outcome of recent funding applications. With funding now secured, she has begun reaching out to Hub partners to start the collaborative planning process and gather early input on how services will come together through the new model.

The first task has been to decide on location of the monthly hubs. To do this Jo-Anne  has been using Public Health Scotland’s General Practice List Sizes and Demographics dashboard—a national tool that provides detailed insights into GP practices and the populations they serve across Scotland. The dashboard brings together all available information on registered patients, and offers a comprehensive picture of local demographics, health needs, and population trends. The resource allowed us to look closely at how many people are registered with GP practices in Skye and Lochalsh, and to break this down by age, sex, deprivation and rurality. Its quarterly snapshot has been used to identify locations for the hubs, helping us to ensure the new Outreach Hubs are located around need, rather than assumptions.

For more information about the hubs visit https://vimeo.com/slcvo and https://www.slcvo.org.uk/hwws-collaboration

To access Public Health Scotland’s General Practice List Sizes and Demographics dashboard visit https://scotland.shinyapps.io/phs-gp-list-sizes-and-demographics-app/

Introducing Public Health Scotland

Public Health Scotland (PHS) is Scotland’s national public health agency, working to improve and protect the health and wellbeing of people across the country. Created in 2020, it brings together public health expertise, health protection and national data services under one organisation.

PHS is jointly accountable to the Scottish Government and COSLA, allowing it to work closely with local authorities, the NHS and community partners. Its mission is to increase healthy life expectancy and reduce premature mortality, with key focus areas including mental health, community wellbeing, poverty, and child health.

Alongside national programmes to prevent disease and support healthier living, PHS provides high‑quality health data and intelligence. This evidence can help third sector organisations plan services, understand health trends and tackle inequalities more effectively.

Of particular note is the website section that provides an overview of social and community care, covering everything from what social care is to who receives it and the range of services involved. It explains that social care includes all personal and practical support for children, young people and adults, delivered either at home or in a homely setting. The section outlines key areas such as self‑directed support, which gives people more choice and control over their care; technology‑enabled care, which uses digital tools and alarms to support people at home; and different types of care including care at home, care homes, and end‑of‑life care. It also links to the Core Suite of Integration Indicators, which help Health and Social Care Partnerships measure progress on national health and wellbeing outcomes.

To access information on of social and community care visit https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/healthcare-system/social-and-community-care/