Published on: Thursday 26 Mar 2020 at 16:33
St Clare Hospice appeals for vital supplies to help us carry on caring for local people in the face of COVID-19
St Clare Hospice is making an urgent appeal for donations of vital cleaning supplies and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) so that staff can continue to safely support local people with end of life and palliative care whilst minimising the risk of COVID-19 spreading.
We are calling on nearby businesses to give ‘gifts in kind’ to support local people’s care at the end of life, hoping that many will come forward to offer their wares as part of a crucially-needed community effort.
The appeal comes in light of the recent shortages faced by many hospices and healthcare providers across the globe due to the coronavirus pandemic. Things like hand sanitiser gel and soap, sanitising wipes, protective face masks, and medical scrubs feature on the list of supplies needed more than ever to help prevent contamination.
The list of supplies needed consists of various items, from vital cleaning equipment and PPE to communication devices:
Hand sanitiser gel – 30 small bottles are used per week by the Inpatient Unit staff and Hospice at Home teams visiting patients in their own homes, providing extra prevention against contamination.
Hand wash (liquid) – 30 bottles for regular handwashing – which is the best defence against contamination.
Washing up liquid – 10 bottles in stock on the hospice site can be used as a back-up for shortages of hand wash.
Sanitising wipes – 30 packets per week to continuously disinfect high-touch areas such as door handles, handrails and light switches. Their disposability makes sanitising wipes a great option for preventing contamination.
Face masks – as many as possible are needed to help prevent the virus from spreading between people. Around 250 can be used by clinical teams in just one week.
Fabric anti-bacterial spray – as many bottles as possible could help doctors, nurses and clinical staff clean their clothes when visiting multiple people in their own homes, preventing contamination between households.
Medical scrubs and clothing for Hospice at Home staff, including leggings and t-shirts – 120 sets of scrubs and other, basic clothing are needed for our Hospice at Home teams, who visit multiple patients at home per day. Our teams constantly need clean clothing to prevent contamination between households.
Tablets/iPads – 6 iPads to help support people who are staying on our Inpatient Unit to connect with friends and family whilst in isolation. This will help to provide vital emotional and social support at one of the most difficult times in life.
Laptops – 10 laptops would provide additional provision for both clinical and support staff to be able to work from home.
Director of Patient Care at St Clare Hospice, Carolanne Brannan, says, “The safety of our patients, and staff teams, is of utmost importance here at St Clare Hospice. The pandemic we’re currently facing as a nation is causing shortages in vital supplies that we are usually able to source without any issue. However, at this increasingly unpredictable time, we’re calling on local suppliers, businesses and the public to pull together as a community and ensure that we can continue caring for those who need us – with safety and preventing contamination as an immediate priority.
“NHS services and hospitals up and down the country will be working around the clock to tackle this virus and provide vital care to victims – and we are working hard to support them in any way we can. Alongside this national effort, the critical need for our hospice services remains as prevalent as ever – and in West Essex and East Herts, there are still local people who need us. So it’s absolutely vital that we’re able to stay open, keep caring, and ensure that we do so safely with the right essential equipment and supplies.”
Carolanne adds, “Any donations of these vital supplies you can give to St Clare Hospice, no matter how big or small, will contribute towards ensuring that we can continue doing our job as your local hospice. Thank you so much.”
Donate vital supplies, today
St Clare Hospice is requesting that donors get in touch with their Community Fundraising Manager, Dani De’ath, on dani@stclarehospice.org.uk or 07718257704 to arrange drop off of donations.