Here at St Barnabas Hospice we are paying close attention to advice on Covid19 from the Government and Public Health and will take measures to protect the best interests of everyone in our care. Our patients and their families remain at the heart of what we do, and we will ensure that our Hospice care will continue in the safest way, which means changes to our current visiting guidelines, staff, volunteering and fundraising events.
A message for our patients and their families and anyone needing to access our care,
Firstly, be assured that we are still here, caring in the community. Our clinical team are as dedicated as ever to provide palliative care throughout this unsettling time and we do not want you to hesitate in contacting us for support. Our Inpatient Unit and Hospice at Home teams are all working to care for people around the county and will continue to do so, whether this be home visits, telephone support or Inpatient care in Lincoln. The Hospice in the Hospital in Grantham has paused its visiting, in line with other Hospital visiting hours.
Due to the current Coronavirus situation we have, sadly, had to take the decision not to allow visitors to most of our patients, within the Inpatient Unit
We appreciate this is likely to cause some distress however, please understand we have a duty of care to keep our patients, their families and staff as safe as possible. We are aiming to contact our patients families on a daily basis with updates regarding their loved ones wellbeing and pass on any messages.
Be assured, for those patients at end of life, immediate family (or next of kin) will be able to visit. Our Nursing staff will discuss this with family members on how this can be facilitated in the safest way.
Thank you for your understanding and co-operation in these unprecedented circumstances.
To self-refer please contact us our Palliative Care Co-Ordination Centre 0300 020 0694
We have made the decision to temporarily close our smaller sites to the public. Please be assured that this will not impact on our Hospice at Home or Inpatient care, but following Government Guidelines is in the best interest of our patients and our staff.
These sites are as follows:
• Grantham
• Louth
• Boston
• Spalding
• Gainsborough
In addition, we have taken the step to close our Bereavement Groups but will continue to offer telephone support. If you have any questions about this, please contact our Wellbeing team directly on 01522 518 246
Visitors and supporters
We are currently following guidance from Public Health England but also taking additional measures to protect the health and wellbeing of patients and families. It is with great sadness we have had to make the decision to cancel all fundraising events for the Hospice until further notice. This includes the Colour Dash, Ladies Lunch, Plant Sales, Coffee Mornings, Gin and Jammies Networking,and a number of Challenge events. Although we understand this is disappointing, this is in the best interest of our patients and their families, staff, volunteers and of course, you our supporters and in line with Government guidelines.
We are pleased to announce our Display at Doddington Hall for our Dragonfly Appeal has been rescheduled for September. This will give you a chance to see the display, outdoors and following social distancing measures. For more information visit the events page here.
If you have your own fundraising activity or have signed up to an events please contact our Fundraising Team via email [email protected] and we will be pleased to offer support as best we can.
Shops
We are delighted to announce a phased opening for our Shops. This will begin with a ‘Donation Drive-Thru’ event, in which you can book a slot to donate your items safely and at distance at our main warehouse. To book your slot visit the Donation Drive Thru event. Currently, this is the ONLY way to donate your goods and you must book a free slot to attend.
Our Birchwood Shop will open on Monday 6th July, followed by The Forum (North Hykeham) and Wragby Road (Lincoln) on Monday 13th July.
Our Lottery team will continue to run, as normal. This again, will be reviewed on a day to day basis.
Volunteers
We are following guidelines about vulnerable, at risk groups and have made the decision to put on hold our Volunteering roles temporarily who we feel are at risk for everyone’s safety and wellbeing.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact Steve Bond, Volunteer Service Manager on 01522 518232
Thank you for your incredible flexibility and outstanding support during this time. You really are an extraordinary group of people.
Staff
Our valued staff are paramount to the continuing of our service and we are taking all necessary measures to ensure that we can deliver this safely and with minimal disruption throughout this period. Our Clinical team will continue, as stated above to work with our patients to offer the best care and our non-clinical team are being asked to work flexibly to support the delivery of our service – wherever that is needed.
We would like to thank our staff for their tireless commitment to the charity and for doing all they can to minimise infection and keep our services going at this time.
Finally, we have seen an unsurprising decline in donations, and event sign ups due to the impact of Coronavirus. We believe the impact on our income to offer free end-of-life care to be significant. Our patients are some of the most vulnerable in the county and we would welcome any support or donation you can give.
Donate now… https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/get-involved/donate/
Useful Links
We will add useful links for those needing support below:
Lincolnshire coronavirus support