Tag Archive for: coronavirus

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BLOG: A trip to the shops shines a light on St Luke’s amazing volunteers

 

It’s no exaggeration to say that St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth couldn’t deliver its crucial and compassionate end of life care without the support of its army of big-hearted volunteers who give their time and talents for free. This Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June) St Luke’s is saluting them all with a huge, heartfelt thank you, and new CEO Christina Quinn has been out and about meeting a few of these very special people in person.

The charity has an amazing 668 regular volunteers – 464 of them in the charity’s shops across Plymouth, West Devon, the South Hams and East Cornwall, sorting donations, steaming and hanging clothing, creating displays and serving customers.

Christina’s whistlestop tour took in three popular stores, where she got a feel for who St Luke’s retail volunteers are and why they choose to do what they do.

She says: “We get so much from the volunteers, but what is lovely is that they all said how much they get from it as well and they have real pride in supporting the vital work of St Luke’s.

“Visiting the Plymstock, Elburton and Transit Way shops it was clear how much the store managers appreciate and value their volunteers, as we all do too. None of us can do this without them.”

During her visits, Christina heard some heartening stories from individual volunteers, each with unique backgrounds and experiences but with the same aim in mind.

Barbara

A volunteer with special niche knowledge can be a real boon to St Luke’s shop managers. Barbara Daniel used to have an antiques shop on the Barbican and she would sometimes come in to St Luke’s to help value jewellery donations.

After she and her husband closed their business, Barbara began volunteering twice a week at our Plymstock shop where she’s now the resident jewellery expert. Using her keen eye, she takes a good look at items when they arrive, spotting anything that could potentially be quite valuable and doing her homework to make sure the price is right to raise as much as possible to support St Luke’s end of life care.

Barbara is delighted to use her expertise and has identified a few choice pieces that have sold for between £400 and £500.

She says: “I think most volunteers feel like it’s a social occasion to come here and meet people. It keeps the brain ticking over as you get older. I certainly missed it during the lockdown.”

Barbara also loves hunting down bargains in St Luke’s shops. When her son got married recently, both she and her daughter found their glamorous outfits for the big day in one of the charity’s stores.

They each discovered almost new dress and jacket ensembles that would originally have cost hundreds of pounds. Of course, generous Barbara donated hers straight back to St Luke’s after she’d worn it!

Julie

Volunteering for St Luke’s is especially poignant for Julie Lukehurst, a recent recruit at the Elburton shop. Hospital doctors told her that her cancer was incurable and that the best thing for her would be palliative care at St Luke’s specialist unit at Turnchapel.

“I was offered a bed but said I wouldn’t be going there because I wasn’t dying,” recalls Julie.  Four years later she is in remission, managing her illness with medication and pacing her energy through good and bad days. “I think it’s fantastic that St Luke’s is there. That’s why I want to give something back.

“I’ve always worked but couldn’t when I was unwell and I missed it. I moved to a little cottage just down the road from the Elburton shop and used to come in as a customer. One day Rachel the manager asked me if I’d like to volunteer.”

Julie is now quickly learning the ropes volunteering twice a week, sorting stock and serving customers, and she’s mastering the till, even though she’s a self-confessed technophobe.

“I get more pleasure out of being here than I do anywhere. Everyone here is so lovely and friendly and we’re all here for the same reason – to make money for care.  But it’s also a social thing. I could easily stay at home seeing nobody,” says Julie.

Darren

Darren King is a carer for his wife, so he’s unable to go into paid employment. But he loves volunteering at St Luke’s Transit Way shop, just five minutes’ walk from home so he can run back if he’s needed. Working in the shop gives him a sense of purpose and a break from being in the house all the time.

“I just love being here. This is my baby, and the people are like family to me, especially Steve, the manager. He makes work a pleasure.

“The satisfaction you get when you put something through the till and you know it’s going to such a good cause is amazing. There’s no better feeling than clearing £1,000 and knowing that will pay for someone to be cared for at home – it’s a goal we all set for ourselves. We all take pride in the store and it’s really rewarding.”

On the day Christina visited Darren was working alongside a team of fellow volunteers including regulars Mel, Pam and Sue, all supervised by manager Steve Evans. He says it takes a minimum of 10 volunteers to help run the large Transit Way clothing shop and the adjacent bric-a-brac store. There’s a constant stream of donated items being brought in by customers, many on their way to the supermarket next door, and they all need checking, sorting and pricing.

Christina was impressed and humbled by her shop visits. She says: “Every single individual makes a unique contribution towards our shared goal to provide the very best holistic care for people with terminal illness at the end of their lives and compassionate support for their loved ones.

“Barbara, Julie and Darren are all doing a fantastic job and it’s so great to know that they enjoy what they do and get satisfaction from knowing they are giving something back.”

St Luke’s is always looking for more volunteers to help in our shops for a few hours or more each week. These are the stores that are currently in urgent need of more helping hands:  Western Approach/Toys ’R’ Us, Shabby Chic on the Barbican, Sugar Mill, Drake and New George Street in the city centre, Plymstock Bookshop, Tavistock and Launceston.

If you have some time to spare and would like to get involved in a worthwhile cause working alongside like-minded people, find out more and get in touch via our volunteering page or email volunteer@stlukes-hospice.org.uk.

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BLOG: The nurses in purple scrubs

The nurses in purple scrubs

As the pressures of winter illnesses put more strain on already overstretched hospital services, St Luke’s copywriter Jackie Butler meets the dedicated St Luke’s team providing expert end of life support for patients and staff at Derriford.

Day in and day out, NHS clinical staff at University Hospital Plymouth are working tirelessly to save lives and make sick people better. Sadly, doctors must sometimes break the news that nothing more can be done to prolong someone’s life and that a person has only weeks, or even days, left to live.

That’s when the St Luke’s at Derriford team steps in to wrap a blanket of compassion and expertise around a patient, aiming to make sure their remaining time can be lived as fully as possible, with dignity and minimal pain.

Unless you’ve encountered them first hand, most people don’t realise that St Luke’s has a permanent and regular presence at the hospital, with highly trained doctors, nurses and admin staff on duty seven days a week, working alongside NHS staff, and having a major impact on the care of around 100 patients a month.

Based on Level 8, alongside Brent Ward, the St Luke’s doctors and nurses visit adult patients anywhere in the hospital who have a progressive, life-limiting illness and a terminal diagnosis, and there are as many as four or five new referrals daily. Their priority is to offer quick and efficient advice on how best to manage someone’s symptoms and provide the most appropriate care, as well as to help determine the best place – often preferably not in hospital – for a patient to spend their final months, weeks or days.

The team are also there to offer emotional and social support to patients’ families and carers, as well as to share their knowledge and compassion with Derriford’s own nurses and doctors who can find it upsetting and challenging when, despite their best efforts, death becomes inevitable.

As gatekeepers for the hospice as a whole, the St Luke’s hospital team liaises closely with the organisation’s at home and Turnchapel services to find the right solution for each individual. If it’s possible for someone to leave hospital, the team help Derriford’s own complex discharge service arrange their transfer, often recommending them for St Luke’s end of life care in the community or, for those with the most complicated needs, seek admission to the specialist unit if it’s appropriate.

I was honoured recently to join St Luke’s at Derriford Nurse Consultant Martin Thomas and Clinical Nurse Specialist Julie Ayers for what can’t really be described as a typical shift because every single day is different, with its own unique challenges and crucial decisions to be made.

“We have no idea who is coming through the door each day. We try to see urgent cases within 24 hours and if they have very bad pain or other symptoms, we try to see them the same day,” said Julie, who is clearly passionate about her own work as well as educating others.

“We are in a unique and privileged position here advising throughout the hospital. It is all about maintaining good relationships and being part of one big team. We also do a lot of education and believe strongly in encouraging people to use the taboo ‘D’ words – death and dying. It’s about getting the right messages across.

“The earlier we get involved with patients who are palliative, the more they can plan for death and how they are going to spend their remaining time. It’s a privileged role, sorting people’s pain out and stopping them from feeling rubbish.

“We have cover here seven days a week, from 8.30am through to 4.30pm for urgent cases and we always tell hospital staff they can ring through to the specialist unit at Turnchapel for advice out of hours.”

Each day is different but there are regular routines, and the morning begins with a briefing meeting. The busy team has the equivalent of 6.5 full-time nurses, led by Martin, and two full-time and one part-time doctor, headed by Consultant Doctor Doug Hooper, plus a vital clinical administrator who keeps the whole machine rolling. There are always two or three student doctors too, gaining important experience as part of their training.

They meet on camera in a virtual online room – a practical move introduced during the peak of Covid because the team are squirrelled away in three tiny rooms that aren’t big enough for a socially distanced face to face get together.

There’s just one thing on the agenda and that’s the welfare of the day’s list of patients, more than 25 on the day I was there, including several new referrals from various parts of the hospital.

Each individual’s circumstances are discussed in detail – who they are, how unwell they are, whether their condition is stable or deteriorating, whether they have been seen by a member of the team and when, what medications are being used to manage their symptoms and whether that could be improved, what their family situation is and when or whether they might be able to be discharged.

Decisions are made collectively about which patients need to be seen urgently that day and which member of the team will visit them on the wards, always prioritising continuity of care and quickly building a relationship of trust with patients and their loved ones.

Individual cases can be enormously complex. One person had been fighting cancer for years but was now reaching the end. Chemotherapy had initially helped to control their cancer, then the disease had now spread and was no longer treatable, and a chest infection was also adding to their discomfort. They had been brought into hospital because they couldn’t cope at home and now needed to look at what was the best course of action.

It’s a thorough and painstaking meeting that goes on for more than an hour and at the end everyone has their allotted tasks, although in such an unpredictable environment they are always prepared for the unexpected.

For today Julie’s role is triaging referred patients as requests come in from around the hospital. Meanwhile, Martin takes responsibility to visit several patients on the list during the late morning and early afternoon, with important meetings and briefings to fit in too.

He has been familiar with the medical world since he was a child. Martin grew up listening to his nurse mother talk about her work and he was drawn into nursing himself in the late 1980s at a time when strong and positive male role models were being established on TV, notably Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) and Ash (Patrick Robinson) in medical drama Casualty.

“I spent 15 years working on the haematology ward at Derriford, becoming a charge nurse and then a matron, but I was frustrated because I ended up sitting at a desk with little patient contact,” he said. “On a course I sat with the then clinical director at St Luke’s and she asked me if I had thought about being a palliative care nurse. I applied for a job working in the community and fortunately they took a punt on me.”

Martin cared for patients as part of the community urgent care team for 17 years. After being asked to step in to help the St Luke’s hospital team for a couple of months, he got the job to head the department in 2019.

“Our job is about deciding who needs us most and then where do we go from here. If it involves complex symptom management or psychosocial planning, then people will be referred to us to take on management of their care.  If they are still under a surgeon or medic, we will work alongside to give support and good advice,” he explained.

“The average stay on our caseload is six days. Patients are either discharged into the community, or sadly die in hospital. While they are in St Luke’s sights the team will do everything they can to support them and their family members, and try to find the best course of action on discharge.

“All being part of one big St Luke’s team really works and we have a daily dialogue with the community and inpatient teams. Knowing the ins and outs of the organisation as a whole means you know who to refer to and who to speak to.”

During the first Covid lockdown, the nursing team started wearing surgical scrubs for practicality, naturally choosing purple in line with St Luke’s customary colour scheme, and that has carried on ever since, visually underlining their identity as experts in a very special field.

There’s a palpable sense of relief when Martin walks onto a ward. The Derriford nurses and doctors, anxious to do the best they can for their patient, turn to him eagerly.

Technology now allows much swifter sharing of information about a patient, so Martin can easily access medication records, bed management details, blood test and scan results, oncology and clinic reports. And as a nurse prescriber, he can prescribe appropriate drug treatments without referring to a doctor.

On the door of a side room door there’s the symbol of cupped hands holding a butterfly, a sign to everyone that the patient is nearing the end of life and care needs to be gentle and thoughtful. Inside, a man in his 70s is nearing death, surrounded by loved ones, but he is agitated and clearly uncomfortable.

Liaising with UHP nurses and his family members, Martin quickly organises a syringe driver that will administer palliative care medication just under the skin to relieve his symptoms and let him feel relaxed.

“It’s important that we get this right first time, particularly so the family can feel we are doing everything we can. It is not right to see someone so distressed and not do something about it,” he said. “It’s very much about the family at this stage and making sure they know you are listening, and you understand. We also always assume the patient can hear, even if they aren’t responding, so we will continue talking to them and reassuring them at all times.”

When a doctor or nurse thinks someone is approaching death and that comfort, rather than curative measures are appropriate, they will activate an End of Life icon on their electronic notes that will activate a referral to St Luke’s.

Our next stop is a busy cardiac ward, where the sister and junior doctor are seeking Martin’s opinion about a woman with heart failure who had been deteriorating rapidly over the previous 24 hours. She looks like she’s sleeping peacefully and, Martin confirms, is in the active phase of dying and does not appear to be suffering.

After seeing each patient, Martin makes notes in their paper hospital records and he’ll also add his observations, prescriptions and recommendations to the electronic system so that everyone involved in a patient’s care can be kept up to date at all times.

After a very brief lunch break, he’s hurrying to another ward to visit a frail and terminally ill woman, also suffering with dementia, who is about the be released to a specialist nursing home in North Cornwall. He’s making sure all the correct medications are in place and, because she lives off the St Luke’s at home patch, will make a referral to the Cornwall palliative care team and the woman’s GP.

Throughout the day, Martin’s reassuring presence and commitment to relieve suffering are as awe-inspiring as his philosophical and pragmatic attitude to death and dying is refreshing.

“Death is like going to sleep and we know that because people who are dying tend to have periods of slipping into unconsciousness, when they don’t remember blocks of time. Good days and bad days are part of dying. It is not something to be feared. It is disappointing, knowing the things you are going to miss, but the moment of death is not tortured; it is a release,” he said.

Nevertheless, the heavy caseload and the sadness of patients’ deaths does take its toll. Martin and Julie keep a close watch on the wellbeing of all St Luke’s team members, aiming to vary duties so the pressures don’t become individually overwhelming.

They’ve recently introduced a weekly ritual of personal reflection. Every Friday team members are invited to take a few moments out of their busy day to gather in the hospital chapel and light a candle for patients who have died. It’s a time when they acknowledge the lives lost and the efforts they have made to support those people in their final days.

Far from being a religious gesture, it’s about offering a brief, but important, opportunity for meditation in a quiet and spiritual space.

Julie said: “We sourced some little purple tealights that are heart-shaped. We light them and we write something in remembrance. We each have our own thoughts. When you are so busy you don’t usually have that moment to come away from the ward and find some tranquillity.”

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BLOG: The Power of Words

As we head towards the close of this extraordinary year, which has seen our clinical staff work so tirelessly to keep giving their compassionate care, members of our team based at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust share their reflections on these past turbulent months, during which time the hospital’s ‘one big team’ ethos has been tested as never before.

Earlier this year, when the hospital was in the eye of the storm, Specialist Nurses Linzie Collins and Becky Harris were among the St Luke’s staff who joined forces with hospital doctors and nurses on the frontline, looking after seriously ill patients on the COVID red wards. As they stepped up to do this, working flat out, their colleagues at the hospital were also pulling out all the stops to ensure that the terminally ill patients nearing the end of their lives still received the specialist care they required.

Listening to Linzie and Becky talk about their experience then – and how things have been since – with admissions rising again more recently, it is clear that it is not just their expert hands-on care that has made such an important difference, ensuring patients are more comfortable and at ease. It is also the way they have communicated with patients’ families, combining sensitivity and kindness with the clarity that is so necessary to gaining relatives’ understanding of their loved one’s prognosis.

It is this same style of compassionate communication that they have used to help their hospital colleagues feel more confident in having these difficult conversations with patients’ families, including not only newly qualified nurses who suddenly found themselves on the frontline of COVID care, but more experienced staff, too.

Linzi said: “Before joining the team at Derriford I nursed patients at Turnchapel, where having these honest conversations with families happens on a very regular basis. It is never easy but you realise that in being open with them and, in a sensitive way, being clear about what they should expect is actually the kindest thing you can do because it helps prepare them – as much as possible – for what is going to happen. It gives them the opportunity to tell their loved one all that they feel they want to say before that person dies, which helps bring them comfort and more peace of mind.”

Preparing their hospital counterparts to have these open discussions wasn’t the only way Linzie and Becky helped them with communication, though. Recognising that UHP NHS Trust nurses often have difficulty finding the time to make calls to patients’ families, Linzie developed a ‘communication folder’ containing a simple form to record dates, times and brief notes of conversations that took place.. Thanks to the simplicity of the form, it can easily be updated no matter what the time of the day or night the call takes place, even if it’s at 3am.

Linzie said: “Nurses are so busy that they just don’t have time to be hunting around for information. I felt this was something simple I could do to help make things a little easier, with all key details about conversations with family and friends recorded in one central place.

“It was rewarding being able to help in this way to relieve some of the pressure on the hospital team, who have been so brave and are so exhausted, and they welcomed our suggestions and help with this.

“Something that it really brought home to Becky and me is that in working for St Luke’s we have the benefit of time to spend getting to know our patients – it’s all part of our holistic approach. Time is such a precious commodity at the hospital and there are always so many demands on the nurses – they have to prioritise giving clinical care above all else.”

Of course, we can’t mention communication without highlighting how Linzie, Becky and their colleagues had to think ‘outside the box’ to help dying patients – and the loved ones who couldn’t be with them in person because of the pandemic – feel as connected as possible, despite the physical distance between them. Technology had a big part to play here.

Becky said: “I’ll never forget witnessing a Zoom call we facilitated between a patient and his daughter. As you’d expect, she was devastated that she couldn’t be at his side to hold his hand, but she was at least able to tell him over and again how much she loved him. It was heart-breaking to see, but I’m so reassured that she was able to have that conversation with her dad. In time, knowing he heard her say how precious he was to her will – I hope – help heal her memories.”

“Normal grief patterns have been lost in COVID-19 because of how fast things have happened, the restrictions on families visiting their loved one and even funerals having to be done differently, so being able to help – even in small ways – feels very rewarding for us.”

The final word goes to Dr Doug Hooper, Consultant in Palliative Medicine in our team at Derriford. He said: “Although the virus means people have had to stay apart in a way we have never witnessed before, at the hospital we have seen how in another sense it has brought everyone closer together. It is not just our St Luke’s team who have gone over and above but colleagues right across the hospital. While this year has felt exhausting and relentless, we have all learned from each other and are stronger for it.”

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Greater pressure on hospice care for patients at home as second lockdown begins

“When I start my shift after two days off and realise all my patients’ names have already gone from our whiteboard, that’s when it really hits home how much more quickly people are dying now because of the pandemic. It’s utterly heart-breaking.”

With the country entering its second national lockdown this week, a healthcare professional from St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth, who knows first hand the impact the pandemic is having on not just lives but deaths too, has shared how it feels to be part of the local charity’s dedicated workforce carrying out their vital service for terminally ill patients and their families while cases of the virus continue to rise.

As a Healthcare Assistant with the Urgent Care Service run by St Luke’s in partnership with Marie Curie, Selina Rogers is used to dealing with death. She and her colleagues choose to work in the challenging environment of hospice care because they understand the difference their specialist skills, and their kindness and sensitivity, make to terminally ill people at the end of their lives. What has changed over recent months, though – and increased the emotional toll on this resilient team – is the speed at which their patients are dying.

Between them, Selina and the rest of the team, which as well as her fellow healthcare assistants includes doctors, nurses and bereavement support workers, cover Plymouth and surrounding areas and are out on the road seven days a week looking after patients at home during a period of change in their condition or a crisis. It is what they do to make the community a kinder place for people who are dying and for the loved ones around them. It also reduces unnecessary admissions to hospital, relieving pressure on the NHS.

This provision from St Luke’s, which is so essential to making their patients more comfortable – managing their symptoms and putting them and their loved ones as at ease as possible – is given by the charity at no cost to those who receive its personalised care and support. The Urgent Care team is continuing to meet the increasing demand for specialist end of life care at home, despite St Luke’s experiencing loss of income with its charity shops being forced into closure for much of this year and its popular mass participation events, such as Midnight Walk and Men’s Day Out, postponed until safer times, in accordance with government advice.

Selina said: “We see a lot of death in what we do, but during this last six to seven months there’s been more than ever. I don’t mean people who’ve died from COVID-19 but those with conditions such as cancer, motor neurone disease and heart failure.

“We can lose four patients just in one day – that’s around what we’d usually expect in a week. We can finish a shift and have our two days off, come back to work and see patients’ names that are all new because those we’d looked after on our previous shift have already died. I find that incredibly tough.

Explaining more, Selina said:  “I think it’s because we’re getting our referrals in later and people are dying a lot sooner. It’s almost like crisis intervention – in many cases, we’re going in the last 24 – 48 hours of their life and making sure they’re comfortable.

“We think it’s in part because many people haven’t been going for routine appointments at hospitals either because they’re scared it’s not safe during the pandemic or because they’ve not wanted the NHS to feel any more stretched than it already is.

“This time next year we’re likely to see even more deaths because people aren’t having the treatment they need. That’s why I want to echo what the NHS is telling everyone, reminding people just how important it is for them to keep their appointments, and if they feel unwell or notice anything out of the ordinary in terms of their health, to talk to their GP.”

As she and her colleagues brace themselves for working throughout another lockdown to reach the many people who need their compassionate care at home in their last days of life, Selina said: “It can feel really challenging looking after people who are so poorly, but we never shy away from it and the pandemic has not – and will not – change that.

“It is very special to be almost be part of a patient’s family during such a vulnerable time. I feel privileged that in my role I can give them not only practical support but be a reassuring presence that reminds they don’t have to go through it alone.

“Another important part of what we do is preparing them for what’s going to happen, getting the balance right between being gentle but not sugar-coating the truth because it’s crucial to be honest. These are not easy conversations to have but in my experience families appreciate that openness and feel relief that they can share whatever they’re feeling with us.

“What I do miss since the pandemic started though, is being able to give them a hug when they need it. We can’t because we all have to respect the safety measures that help keep everyone safe from the virus.

“Just this week, I was with a lady who sadly died while our team was there. Her husband was heartbroken yet I couldn’t put my arm around him the way I usually would – it’s instinctive when someone desperately needs that comfort and it feels really alien and frustrating not to. I just rested my hand on his shoulder and hoped he could see in my eyes how much I care because of course the masks we wear as part of our PPE make it harder for people to read our expressions.”

“What helps me at those times is feeling I’ve done all I can to make such a difficult time that little bit easier for families and knowing St Luke’s bereavement team will be there to support them as they grieve, the comfort blanket they need as they gradually come to terms with their loss.

“Going into this second lockdown is tough on everyone and particularly challenging for people affected by terminal illness because they might be feeling more isolated or anxious. I want to reassure our patients, their carers and their families that St Luke’s will continue to be there for them.

“I also want to thank everyone who supports our charity because it makes such a difference. I’ve been so touched by the way the community has kept us close to their hearts despite the pressures they themselves are facing.

“There doesn’t seem to be any slowing in the higher number of deaths at home and our service will be needed more than ever in the months ahead, so everyone’s kind words and thoughtful gestures really help all of us at St Luke’s dig that little bit deeper to keep going for our patients, whatever this pandemic throws at us.”

The Urgent Care Service is a partnership between charities St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth and Marie Curie.

Working closely with district nurses, GPs and health and social care agencies, the team ensures high-quality, co-ordinated and compassionate care and support for terminally ill patients who need a high level of specialised care at end of life and want to be looked after at home.

The service reaches across Plymouth and into the surrounding areas of South West Devon, including Salcombe, Kingsbridge, Ivybridge, Tavistock and the Moors.

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BLOG: Keep calm and carry on: how our End of Life Urgent Care Service continues to rise to the challenge during the pandemic

When your vital work caring for terminally ill people already takes its toll on you emotionally, how do you cope when it is made so much more challenging by the pandemic and its impact on not only the families St Luke’s serves, but the welfare of you and your own loved ones, too?

Selina Rogers and Becci Stafford are Healthcare Assistants (HCAs) with our End of Life Urgent Care Service, which runs seven days a week. In partnership with Marie Curie, it provides co-ordinated, bespoke end of life care and support to patients who need this at home during a time of crisis or change in their condition. The team’s remit extends across Plymouth and out as far as Salcombe, Tavistock and the moors, too.

As HCAs, Selina and Becci are central to the high-calibre care the team provides, ensuring our patients are as comfortable as possible – and their loved ones as at ease as possible – in the midst of very challenging circumstances. The ‘storm’ of the pandemic has meant that their sensitivity and compassion have been even more critical than ever, with the past few months seeing them pull out all the stops to remain the reassuring presence families desperately need, all while managing their own anxieties and concerns around COVID-19.

Selina said: “Helping to look after people who are dying is not an easy job, but we do it because we understand what a difference it makes to patients when their dignity is respected and they feel understood. We know how hard it is for their family members, too, who are often shouldering a lot of the caring responsibilities for the person who is terminally ill.

“That’s why we’ve been determined to maintain the outstanding service so many rely on, despite the many challenges of carrying out our work during the pandemic. As with NHS frontline staff, we’ve had to use all the necessary PPE and though we understand how essential it is, it has been very tough knowing patients can’t see our smiles, or feel the warmth of our hugs or the reassurance of our hand on their shoulder.

“It goes against our natures not to be tactile, so we’ve adapted by telling them when we’re smiling, and even saying to them, “It’s right now that I’d have given you a hug”, just to make sure they know how much we care.”

Even more difficult has been the shock of seeing their patients die much more quickly than in pre-pandemic times. Whereas normally patients live for up to around 40 days from the team’s initial visit, giving time for a comforting familiarity to build between them, many have sadly passed away within just one or two days.

Becci said: “It has felt really hard comprehend at times, especially seeing them looking reasonably healthy one day and finding out that sadly, they have died the next.

“We understand the reasons for this – many people have been getting referred to us much later than they normally would because of the difficulties they’ve had accessing their GP during lockdown, or deteriorating more rapidly due to the pandemic delaying their hospital treatment – but understanding it doesn’t take away the shock and sadness we feel.

“As a team we’ve all had to pull together more than ever to help each other through because every one of us has found it very hard-going.”

Of course, as well as their care and concern for their patients and the families around them, our clinical teams have also faced making tough personal sacrifices to reduce their own loved ones’ risk of contracting the virus.

Becci, who has young children, made the heart-wrenching decision to live separately from them for seven weeks, taking them to live with their father to help protect them while she cared for two patients diagnosed with COVID-19.

“I felt huge guilt in choosing to stay apart from my children, and although I knew it was the right thing to do, I struggled. It’s at times like that I appreciate the team around me even more. At various times, we’ve all been close to breaking point due to the fear of the virus, anxiety and fatigue, but we’ve got through by being there for one another, laughing and crying together. As a unit, we’re stronger than ever.”

Selina concurs: “It’s been an emotional rollercoaster, but we have so much empathy for each other and we’re like a family now. We’ve had superb leadership from Sharon Mayer throughout and all our nurses have been amazing, too. It gives you great faith in your team, knowing the resilience that’s been forged through what we’ve all been through.”

Listening to Becci and Selina, it’s clear from the emotion in their voices that they’ve been so tested in recent months yet remain completely dedicated to those in their care.

Becci said: “When a family thanks you for being alongside them from the very first visit to the last, saying how that continuity was made such a big difference to them, it’s incredibly fulfilling. It feels really special.”

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BLOG: Retail re-opening to support vital hospice care

Shops currently open
Tuesday to Saturday | 9.30am to 4.30pm

Plymouth City Centre Drake
Plymouth City Centre Pop-up shop (former Toys R Us)
Plympton, Huxley Close (near Chaplins)
Plymstock, Sugar Mill
Launceston
Tavistock

Opening Tuesday 4 August
Saltash

Opening Tuesday 11 August
Plymstock
Estover
Ivybridge
Southway
Torpoint

Opening Tuesday 18 August
Yealmpton
Plympton Ridgeway
Barbican Shabby Chic

Opening Tuesday 25 August
Modbury

All other St Luke’s charity shops remain temporarily closed.

So overwhelming is the kindness of St Luke’s supporters who’ve been donating tonnes of items to our re-opened charity shops, we’ve had to temporarily press pause on our acceptance of more donations!

Don’t worry, we’re working hard to remedy this but, for now, we’d really appreciate your patience in holding on to your unwanted furniture, clothes and bric-a-brac while we safely sort through the tonnes we’ve already received.

Our donation point at the distribution centre in Plympton is temporarily unavailable. Our free furniture collection service has opened again for select collections, visit our webpage to see if you are eligible.

 

BLOG | 8 June 2020

So overwhelming is the kindness of St Luke’s supporters who’ve been donating tonnes of items to our re-opened charity shop at Western Approach, we’ve had to temporarily press pause on our acceptance of more donations!

Don’t worry, we’re working hard to remedy this but, for now, we’d really appreciate your patience in holding on to your unwanted furniture, clothes and bric-a-brac while we safely sort through the tonnes we’ve already received.

Though it’s only a fortnight since our doors re-opened, thousands of pre-loved goods have already filled our huge 8,000sq ft storage space to capacity, so please bear with us while we process them all in accordance with the government safety guidelines, which include us quarantining each item for 72 hours.

We’ll let you know as soon as we can safely re-open our ‘drive in and donate’ self-service facility at the rear of the store. In the meantime, please keep shopping with us. Thanks to our generous supporters, there are more bargains than ever to be snapped up!

Our city-centre pop-up shop at the former Toys R Us site and City Centre Drake shop in Plymouth are still open Tuesday to Saturday 9.30am to 4.30pm for shopping only. Our donation point at the distribution centre in Plympton is temporarily unavailable. But our free furniture collection service has opened again for select collections, call us on 01752 964455 to see if you are eligible.

Shop with us

We have good news for the many kind-hearted supporters who, in ‘normal times’, demonstrate their love for St Luke’s by donating to – and shopping at – our charity shops across Plymouth and surrounding areas. After the weeks you’ve spent patiently waiting for our stores to re-open safely, we’re delighted to let you know that this carefully planned, phased process has begun… gradually!

Following detailed preparations to ensure we adhere to official health and safety guidance relating to retail outlets, we have re-opened city-centre pop-up shop at the former Toys R Us site and City Centre Drake shop in Plymouth (open Tuesday to Saturday 9.30am to 4.30pm).

We recognise that our supporters living some distance from these locations, including more in rural areas, may feel frustrated that their local St Luke’s charity shop isn’t re-opening just yet, but please be assured that we are working hard behind the scenes to ensure the process we follow keeps everyone safe, so please continue to be patient and we will update you as soon as we can.

While much within our shops will be familiar, including good-quality pre-loved furniture, brand new mattresses, clothing along with crockery, books and CD’s.

Naturally, our shops will include all the safety measures you would expect during this pandemic, many of which you will be familiar with if you have been shopping at supermarkets in recent weeks: hand-sanitising facilities, aisle markings to ensure social distancing, limited numbers of people admitted at any one time, and contactless payments preferred, for example. In addition, for the time being we are requesting that you do not try on clothes or handle items you do not wish to buy.

For your peace of mind, be assured to guard against possible spreading of infection, all donated goods will be stored on site for 72 hours before we put them on sale.

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BLOG: Extending the reach of St Luke’s bereavement support to anyone who has lost a loved one to COVID-19

With the current crisis meaning that sadly, more people are dying – and often more quickly – we’re extending the reach of our bereavement support service to anyone who has lost a loved one to COVID-19 or is anticipating this heartbreak.

As part of our city’s response to help individuals and families affected by loss due to the pandemic – and working in partnership with University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Plymouth City Council, Livewell Southwest and our networks of Compassionate Friends – our charity has stepped up to co-ordinate support for both pre and post bereavement in Plymouth and surrounding areas.

We know how hard it is when someone close to you dies. We also know that COVID-19 has made loss even more complex for so many people. You might not have been able to visit your loved one in a care home or hospital, or perhaps you’ve had to make extraordinarily tough decisions on who could attend the funeral.

If you need help, there’s no need to wait – you don’t need a referral. Just pick up the phone and call our friendly, experienced and sensitive team on 01752 964200. Whatever you’re feeling, we will listen and support you. You are not alone.

We’re also here for health and social care teams, recognising the toll the pandemic is taking on those working in hospitals and care homes. You’ve been getting on, carrying on and keeping on – we’ll give you the space and support you need to reflect, de-brief, release some emotion and signpost you to the most appropriate support. After all, you’re humans, too.

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BLOG: Lockdown learning supports local hospice care

Scott Medical College

Students of Scott Medical and Healthcare College are not only proving they’re as well motivated as ever despite lockdown, learning from home via lessons online, they’ve shown that when it comes to kindness they’re also top of the form, fundraising for local hospice care.

The specialist mainstream school for 13 to 19 year-olds, where students study towards careers in medicine and healthcare, chose to get behind our charity, recognising that now more than ever our charity needs support from the community to continue providing our vital service for local families. So, ditching their usual lockdown attire of casualwear, students from every year group dressed in their school uniforms for a ‘reverse mufti day’, raising £250 for St Luke’s in the process.

Being a partner of our Compassionate Schools initiative, which helps school staff better support students who are facing bereavement or have already lost someone close to them, the College was so determined to show its support that even the teachers dressed in school uniform to enter into the spirit of the occasion.

But that’s not all because during one online lesson, students received a special surprise when St Luke’s healthcare assistant Samm and nurse Theresa ‘gatecrashed’ to thank them for their support and take part in an online question and answer session, providing an insight into their work looking after terminally ill people who are dying. As part of the session, our specialist unit carers explained how they are coping with the changes brought about by the COVID-19.

St Luke’s healthcare assistant Samm said: “We are used to being there for our patients at a very difficult time so we are resilient, but it is hard not being able to hug them or hold their hand because it is second nature to us to show them that compassion. We still provide lots of reassurance for them though, and we’re doing lots to help them keep in touch with their families, recognising how very hard it is for them not to be together at this time.”

Headteacher of Scott Medical and Healthcare College Martyn Cox said: “As a specialist school, we place great emphasis on equipping our students with the vocational skills they need for exciting careers in healthcare, so it was hugely valuable to them to hear from the St Luke’s nurses about the challenges – and rewards – of working in hospice care.“I’m very proud of the way our students and staff embraced the idea of the reverse mufti day to show their support for the service St Luke’s provides, which we should never take for granted.”

Penny Hannah, Head of Fundraising at St Luke’s, said: “It’s heart-warming that these students preparing for their careers and adult lives have made such an effort to show people who are at the end of their lives that they haven’t been forgotten. We’re very grateful for their fantastic fundraising, which will help us be there for more local families who need us.”

Learn more about becoming a compassionate school to better support bereaved students.

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BLOG: a hospice response to COVID-19 in hospital

Small in number yet dynamic and consistently compassionate in the face of unprecedented pressure, the St Luke’s team at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) is making a vital contribution to the hospital’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Doug Hooper, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, is part of our team there, which also includes team leader Martin Thomas, nurses James Mills, Linzie Collins, Julie Ayres, Julia Pugh, Becky Harris, Julie Thesinger and Dr Hannah Gregson and Dr Roger Smith, and their Clinical Admin colleagues Jenny Francis and Jenny Brooks. Here, Doug shares how he and his colleagues have rallied, helping to fortify the frontline during this time of crisis.

“Ordinarily, we’re involved in looking after up to 40 patients at any one time, working alongside the hospital doctors and nurses across the wards so that people with terminal illness receive the highest calibre care as they near the end of their lives. We’re also here for their families, providing much-needed emotional support.

“Given the tremendous gravity of the COVID-19 situation and the huge additional pressure it’s putting on the NHS, we’ve naturally pulled out all the stops to adapt what we do really quickly so that the hospital is as well prepared as possible to manage the influx of people admitted with complications from the virus.

“Now several weeks in, UHP is relatively quiet due to much of the non-urgent inpatient and outpatient care being postponed, but the situation can change by the hour. There are ‘red wards’ dedicated to people struggling with COVID-19 symptoms and sadly, some of them have died. That’s why our team is embedded on these wards, supporting the doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants so that they have a better understanding of each individual patient’s needs.

“Crucially, we’re providing emotional support for the hospital staff who need us, some of whom are relatively inexperienced nurses. Understandably, the enormity of the situation can take a toll on them so we are there to listen and help however we can.

“With both patients and their relatives in mind we’ve helped the hospital’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service access iPads for each ward so that families can keep in touch. While it’s heart-breaking that people can’t usually visit their loved one due to current restrictions, it’s really moving to see how Zoom and social media have helped bring people together so powerfully at such a challenging time. These human connections are vital to the relief of suffering.

“We’ve also worked closely with the hospital communications team and Annie Charles from the Mustard Tree Cancer Macmillan Support Centre so that family can be offered more in-depth support and be able to send uplifting personalised messages to their loved ones.

“When it is clear that a patient is not going to survive COVID-19, doctors and nurses need to have brave, honest and realistic but kind conversations with families. This is far from easy even when you have worked in end of life care for years, but the pandemic means some staff are facing this for the first time, having to break the hardest of news to those who can’t be there to hold their loved one’s hand.

“We’ve used our experience to produce advice packs for staff to help them feel better prepared to have these conversations with truth and clarity but gentleness and kindness, too.

“Part of relieving pressure on the NHS is the private sector lending its support, so our team has been busy providing specialist training to those working at the Nuffield Health Plymouth Hospital as the organisation is lending its facility and workforce to UHP by temporarily providing both inpatient and outpatient cancer treatment. It’s heartening to see them getting behind the NHS like this in the interest of public health.

“In the toughest of circumstances so many positive changes have been made, and I hope many of them will continue to benefit healthcare in the future. Our team will remain agile as this situation unfolds, working shoulder to shoulder with our NHS colleagues to meet the challenge. And I know we’ll continue to support each other – the camaraderie between us is second to none.”

Learn more about St Luke’s at Derriford.

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BLOG: Sterling service with a smile behind the mask


Among our amazing volunteers giving their time and skills unpaid to help our charity is a special lady who has stepped up from one shift a week to five in these extraordinary times.

On a ‘normal’ Thursday, Linda Morris is a friendly face at our airy Driftwood Café at Turnchapel, where she serves meals, snacks and drinks to visitors and staff with a warm smile. It’s a role she has grown to love since she began volunteering with us after her beloved husband Brian died and following retirement from her long career in procurement at the University of Plymouth.

Now though, with the pandemic meaning that sadly, she can’t visit her mother or sister – who are both living in separate care homes – Linda is kindly using her free time to make even more of a difference. With the café currently closed and visiting patients restricted due to safety precautions, she is putting the experience she has already gained at St Luke’s to good use, helping her Catering colleagues by serving food and drinks to our patients on the wards at the specialist unit.

Linda said: “Usually, I visit mum in her care home every day and my sister two or three times a week, but the impact of the pandemic means a lot more spare time. It is hard not being able to see them, but I didn’t hesitate to up my hours at Turnchapel because I know the difference an extra pair of hands can make.

“It’s very much a two-way thing because, living alone, my St Luke’s family means a lot to me. So yes, I give but I also gain. The unit is such an uplifting place and I love being there with other volunteers and chatting with the nurses.”

During her shifts, Linda is busy making teas and coffees for our patients and serving their meals so she wears the necessary PPE, including facemask. She said: “I’m used to helping out, serving drinks on the ward as part of my usual shift, and I always say hello to the patients and let them know by my smile that I care. Now though, my mask means they can no longer see me smiling, so I try to spend a little longer with them, chatting and having a bit of friendly banter. We even laugh together when they can see my goggles steaming up!

“I relate to some of what they’re going through being separated from family at the moment, and if I can show them I care, I feel I’ve made a difference.”

Catering Manager Lesley Henderson said: “Without our volunteers we would struggle to run our catering so well even in ordinary times and now, their support is more appreciated than ever. Linda is so helpful and positive, going way above and beyond with all these extra shifts, and I couldn’t be prouder that she’s part of our team.”

A big thank you to Linda, as well as all our other kind-hearted volunteers. Whether you are currently volunteering with us or isolating at home, we really value you all!

Learn more about volunteering at St Luke’s.

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