Carlisle hospice standing shoulder to shoulder with local NHS
Eden Valley Hospice and North Cumbria Integrated Care Foundation NHS Trust are delighted to announce a six month partnership to strengthen the care, support and compassion for local people with life limiting illnesses.
From 1st December hospital patients with life limiting illnesses will be able to benefit from the care and compassion provided at Eden Valley Hospice. Hospital patients, who will benefit from being in the homely hospice environment, will be referred to one of four dedicated beds at the hospice.
Jenny Wilson, Head of Clinical Care and Deputy Chief Executive at Eden Valley Hospice, says, “This partnership allows for further collaboration between two care providers for the benefit of local people with life limiting illnesses.
“We’re pleased that the palliative care provision at the hospice, including medical care, has been recognised in this way. Those patients referred to the hospice will be cared for in a calmer environment, with a higher staff to patient ratio and they’ll have access to emotional, social, practical and spiritual support.”
Anna Stabler, Chief Nurse at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust said, “We are delighted to have secured the funding for these beds as part of our winter plans. Through excellent partnership working we have detailed arrangements in place to ensure that the appropriate patients are transferred and the homely environment allows for patients to be cared for in the most suitable environment for them.”
Eden Valley Hospice will continue to offer eight dedicated hospice beds, primarily funded by charitable donations, for local people with life limiting illnesses. The charity has modified their current Adult In-Patient Unit to accompany the four additional beds within the hospice building. The hospice has created four additional beds to support the NCIC by creating two single rooms and dividing the four bedded unit into a two bedded unit.
Jenny Wilson continued, “It is brilliant we have been able to introduce the additional beds at the hospice and re-use areas of the hospice which have not been utilised since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. By introducing the four beds we will also increase our staff at the hospice as we support more local people with life limiting illnesses. We also extend all our care, support and compassion to the patients family.
“We stood shoulder to shoulder with our NHS colleagues during the start of the pandemic, and this will allow us to offer more robust support for the benefit of the local community, whilst receiving dedicating funding. This collaboration will boost local health care integration for the benefit of the local population.”
As key workers, both the clinical and support staff teams at Eden Valley Hospice are here for the local community. The hospice is open and doing all it can during these times to continue to provide care and compassion to those in need, whilst following strict guidelines. The hospice is for the local community and supporting the NHS.