Hospice charity 'caring for more patients than ever before' at home during lockdown

In the course of caring for a record 600 patients, the hospice at home nurses working in Buckinghamshire and west Hertfordshire made 2,586 visits to patients at home, day and night, during the period from 23 March to 31 May.

They also supported this hands-on nursing care with 15,609 hours of phone calls, providing advice to patients and families and liaising with other healthcare professionals and agencies to ensure patients received the medication, equipment and support they needed.

Judith Moore, Head of Nursing and Patient Services says: “Lockdown has been a challenging time for our nurses. Not only have they faced unprecedented demand with caseload figures increasing, they have also been coping with a higher than usual number of deaths. Testing for Covid-19 has been unavailable to those in community settings until recently, so it is impossible to say if this is Covid related, but it is in line with national statistics.”

Despite seeing a 29% increase in demand since the same period last year, the charity has still ensured that those they care for have the choice to stay at home, with 95% of patients who wanted to die at home being able to achieve their wish.

Judith continues: “Our aim is to give local people choice as they near the end of life and I am immensely proud of our nurses for working so hard to make sure this continues. We know that lockdown has not been easy for anyone, but it’s been especially hard for our patients who have been unable to see extended family and friends which is doubly hard when they know their time is short. With hospital and GP appointments also stopping or going virtual, the fact that our nurses have carried on visiting has been so important to them and we have been privileged to be there.”

Rennie Grove Hospice Care gives adults and children in Buckinghamshire and west Hertfordshire who have a life-limiting illness the choice to live as well as possible at home surrounded by family, friends and the things that matter to them most right until the end.

The Hospice at Home service is unique in the local area. Any time of the day or night, every day of the year our patients are able to call on the specialist nursing care and support provide by our nurses and healthcare assistants.

You can help ensure Rennie Grove can continue to provide this vital care at renniegrove.org/donate.