Each week, we’re inviting one of the many charities or community groups in Stratford to takeover our social media for the day with a series of posts outlining what they are doing during the COVID-19 pandemic to show our support. The full case study will appear here on our blog.
This week, we hear from The Myton Hospices whose work centres on enhancing life, empowering patients to achieve their goals and involving them in decisions about their current and future care. By focusing on their wellbeing and seeing them and not the illness they aim to help them reengage with their lives and give them more quality time with their families and loved ones.
Here, Ruth Freeman, CEO, tells us how they have adapted their services to ensure they still help to make those final years, months, weeks or even hours are as good as they can be.
How have you adapted the services you provide during the Covid-19 pandemic?
We have consolidated all of In-patient beds on to one site to maximise resources and available staff – we still take patients from across the whole of Warwickshire and Coventry.
We have enhanced out Myton at Home services by redeploying staff into the community and have increased the number of patients supported by 50% in some areas.
We have introduced remote consultations for Lymphoedema, and Counselling and to run programmes such as the Fatigue and Breathlessness programme, Living well and Physiotherapy.
We have developed a support telephone service to support the following:
- All patients that would have attended out Day unit
- All discharged patients (from the Inpatient unit and Day unit)
- To ensure they are coping at home
- To support families who are unable to visit loved ones because they are in vulnerable groups to reassure them on a regular basis about their loved one
- To support families after bereavement
We have introduced tablets in bedrooms for patients to stay in touch with families and loved ones.
We have an enhanced 24 hour telephone advice line for patients families and health Care Professionals
We are providing telephone support and training for Care homes which have seen an increase in the number of deaths they are having to deal with.
What’s the key thing that has surprised/pleased you?
The response from patients and families to the new methods of delivering services and support – the feedback has been amazing!
What are the biggest challenges you are facing?
The losses in fundraising and retail income which we estimate could be as high as £ 2.5 million and the uncertainty about what the post Covid world will look like.
Can you give an example describing the impact you’ve made on an individual/group of people?
Our wellbeing calls to vulnerable patients their families and our volunteers many of whom are elderly and in vulnerable groups. Patients who are isolated and frightened to go out into any clinical environment have expressed real gratitude for the contact and concern and advice and knowing they have somewhere to call if they are in trouble or need some additional support – calls are made to each patient/ family member/ volunteer on a regular basis.
Facts about who you have helped and how
13 patients each day on average in the In- patient unit
5 patients each day via Myton at home – 8 visits each day
5 lymphoedema patients each day
83 patients being supported via regular wellbeing calls
108 people being supported by our counselling team
What could the community in Stratford do to support you?
Help us fundraise and let us know if there are people in the community with a terminal illness that might need our support.
Useful info and contact details
Myton’s Facebook page has the most up to date information about fundraising events.