Pendleside is about to almost double the number of our inpatient beds to ease the pressure on the NHS during the Covid19 crisis.
The number of beds will increase from 10 to 18 alleviating the necessity for palliative care patients to remain in hospital at a time when beds there are at a premium. The initiative is being funded by the Clinical Commissioning Group which is being boosted by a generous donation from local company, Daisy Communications of £10,000 to cover the one off set up costs associated with transforming the day services unit into another ward.
The hospice’s maintenance team is converting the day services unit into the eight extra bedrooms; the day services have been closed due to the government’s social distancing instructions.
Staff who have previously worked for the Hospice including some that have retired have volunteered to return to nursing duties to help staff the extra patients while existing staff have offered to work overtime. Also two advanced nurse practitioners who lecture at UCLan - and who have worked previously as clinical nurse specialists – have also come forward to offer their services to support the medical team as has a local GP Dr Faheen Umar, who undertook some of her GP training at the Hospice.
Helen McVey, chief executive at Pendleside, said: “There was a need for hospices, like Pendleside, to align themselves into the bigger picture of what is happening at the moment and the increase in demand for health care services during the crisis. “What we are doing is what we are expert at, and that is, offering palliative care and care for patients at the end of their life. At the same time it eases the pressure on hospital beds which is ever increasing due to the Covid 19 outbreak.
Helen added: “Despite all of this activity and commitment from the government to support Hospices Pendleside is still going to show a huge deficit in its fundraising over the coming months. So I appeal to people to join our Keep Your Hospice Open campaign by visiting justgiving.com/campaign/pendlesidecovid19appeal and making a donation.
“What is happening now at Pendleside during the Covid19 crisis shows what a valuable resource hospices are and the need for funding during these times are as critical as ever.”