The coronavirus is having a devastating impact around the world, so we want to assure you that at St Helena Hospice, we are doing whatever necessary to support local people facing incurable illness and bereavement right now and we will continue to do so for the duration of this crisis; and when the pandemic is over.
However, we need your urgent support.
Please watch this short message below from Susie Burnby, bereavement counsellor and team lead.
Through this pandemic we have seen such a tragic loss of life, both across the world and locally. It has been an experience that has affected so many people, with the circumstances in which people have died often being incredibly traumatic.
Dealing with the loss of a loved one at any time is never easy, but trying to navigate it through a global pandemic has made everything so much harder, because nothing about it has been ‘normal’.
Unlike many others, at St Helena Hospice, we not only provide bereavement support to families whose loved one has died with us, or were supported by our nurses in their own home, we offer it to the whole of our community, regardless of where or how someone has died.
Right now, as the number of people who needs our service starts to rise, our bereavement team is going to be needed more than ever. We need your help to ensure we can continue to provide the most appropriate support to everyone who needs us.
However, we’re facing a devastating loss of income as a result of coronavirus, so your support is urgently needed.
Please help us to ensure we’re able to help as many people as we can through this, for as long as they need.
If you are able to, please make a donation to our Urgent Appeal right now.
The virtual memory wall is a space for anyone to commemorate their loved ones and to share and celebrate their memories, no matter when, where or how they died.
Make your donation and leave a dedication for a loved one on our virtual memory wall using the button below. If you wish to leave a message for our staff instead please donate further down the page.
Over the last few months, we have dramatically changed the way we provide our vital care and support to ensure that patients and families towards the end of life across north east Essex, get the care and support they need, when they need it, for however long this crisis continues.
However, this has had a significant impact on our staff as they adjust to the new ways of working.
“In normal circumstances that’s when you hold your hand out, give them a hug, and support them... but we can’t do that anymore.” - Kelly Lee, Senior healthcare assistant
Care and compassion go hand in hand at St Helena Hospice and the pandemic is making it increasingly difficult to provide the support we’re so used to giving to our patients and families.
Nevertheless, our staff are finding new ways to provide comfort and will do whatever necessary to support patients and families during this difficult time, to ensure they receive the dignity and respect they deserve - and that we’re known for providing.
“I am so proud to work for St Helena Hospice. Through all of this, the support and compassion the whole team continues to provide is incredible. We are doing everything in our power to give families whatever precious last moments we can together in these truly awful circumstances, because they will never have these moments again.” - Kelly
Please, if you are able to, make a donation to our Urgent Appeal right now.
If you don't want to leave a message on our online memorial you can also donate using the button below and leave a message for our incredible team of staff and volunteers who are working day and night, putting aside their fears to provide the best possible care to loved ones.
We have expanded our bereavement service and partnered with Age Concern Colchester and North East Essex to ensure everyone locally can access and receive the support they need, in a timely way.
We are able to provide bereavement support and counselling to children, young people, families and adults over the phone or via video call.
By partnering with Age Concern, we have been able to draw on their resource of bereavement befrienders, who can provide a listening ear and some support over the phone immediately, until a St Helena counsellor is available. They can also continue to provide support after counselling sessions have finished, if the person feels that would be beneficial.
You can find out more about our partnership with Age Concern and the bereavement support available here
The local NHS has appointed St Helena Hospice as the lead organisation coordinating all out of hospital end of life care activity in north east Essex for the duration of the situation.
We have therefore expanded our SinglePoint service and we are working alongside community colleagues and primary care, bringing everyone together in order to respond to any needs in the community relating to end of life care.
To do that, we’ve taken on additional call handlers and nurses to respond to the increase in calls to our 24/7 advice line; and we’ve enhanced our rapid response service, visiting patients at home who are in crisis, day and night.
We have also increased the capacity of our inpatient unit, with an additional two beds at The Hospice, allowing us to care for up 18 patients at a time.
We have also partnered with Bluebird care to allow us to increase the number of beds on our Virtual Ward from eight to 14.
You can read more about this here
These vast changes, whilst vital for supporting local people facing dying, death and bereavement, do come at an extra cost to us.
As a charity, we need to raise around £2 million a year from our shops and fundraising combined and both of these have been significantly impacted for several months because of the coronavirus.
That’s why we’re asking you to please support our Urgent Appeal if you can.
Thank you for any help you are able to give us.
£15 could provide support and comfort to an individual grieving the death of a loved one over the phone with a bereavement support worker.
£20 could help a patient staying at The Hospice to keep their strength up by providing nutritious, home cooked meals for two days
£40 could provide vital care and support for patients at the end of their life from a registered nurse at The Hospice for two hours
£60 could provide a family facing the death of a loved one with advice and tools to support children to open up and share their feelings from our family support team.
£120 could help someone struggling with the traumatic death of a loved to be supported through six sessions of bereavement counselling.