A new appeal to raise £100,000 has today been launched by Leighton Hospital based Mid Cheshire Hospitals Charity. The registered NHS charity which manages all donations and fundraising activity for Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (MCHFT), and Cheshire Central Integrated Care Partnership will use money donated to the appeal to fund additional comforts and create better environments for patients coming to the end of their lives and for their loved ones.
The launch of the appeal coincides with the introduction of the SWAN model of End of Life and Bereavement Care which has been adopted by MCHFT to help ensure that everyone being cared for at the end of their life has all the support and information they need at every stage whilst in hospital or while being cared for at home.
The charity has developed several projects which the appeal will fund with clinical teams who are involved in palliative care at Leighton Hospital and within community teams across Cheshire.
The projects include making improvements to spaces at the hospital where loved ones spend time together and ensuring that there are enough sleeper chairs and suitable, comfortable rest and drink making facilities for loved ones staying with patients.
The appeal will also fund smaller items, for example packs which include dental kits, deodorant wipes and body lotion to be given to people who come into hospital unexpectedly to stay with a loved one. Other important items like memory boxes containing a range of ways to capture special moments will make a small but important difference to the experience of bereaved loved ones.
Emma Robertson, Head of MCH Charity said, ‘One of the charity’s key aims is to improve experience for patients and their loved ones over and above what the NHS can provide, and we know this appeal will make a huge difference to many local people at a time when they need it most. Some of our plans need large sums of money to make happen, but we can also quickly make small, important changes as soon as money starts comes in.
For example, £5 pays for an essentials pack for loved ones who come to hospital with a patient in an emergency and don’t want to leave them to go home. Around £15 will pay for memory making items and £1,500 will pay for a sleeper chair, which ensures that people can get some rest whilst staying next to their loved one. Bigger projects include creating a dedicated, calming outside space where people staying with their loved one can get some fresh air away from the ward, and refurbishing rooms where people spend time with their loved one after they have died.’
Liz Fullerton, Nurse Consultant within the Palliative Care Team said, 'Supporting patients who are at the end of their lives is an incredibly important part of the care provided in hospital. Important not just for patients but for their families and loved ones too. We are so pleased to be working with the Mid Cheshire Hospital Charity whilst they support clinical teams to further improve the way patients and their loved ones spend their last days together.’
The charity has several fundraising events to support the appeal planned for 2024 including All Our Hearts Day on Wednesday 14 February where supporters are asked to wear something pink or red and to donate £2 to the appeal, places in the Born Survivor physical challenge in April and a charity Golf Day in June.
If you would like to make a donation to the appeal, would like to do your own fundraising for it, or if you could help with knitting hearts please visit our appeal page here
