Roaming Nurse Service enables hundreds of patients to die in their own homes
Hospice patients who chose to die at home have benefitted from end-of-life nursing care, thanks to a grant jointly given by Derby and Burton Hospitals Charity and NHS Charities Together.
The grant of £213,480 helped fund the Treetops Hospice Roaming Nurse Service for 15 months, from January 2021 to March this year.
Each evening, its Roaming Nurse team of a registered nurse and healthcare assistant respond to calls for assistance.
The Roaming Service team can visit up to seven more Treetops patients each evening. The nurses administer medication and help with personal care.
During the 15 months of funding, the Roaming Nurses cared for over 630 patients. There were over 3,300 welfare and support calls made between the nursing team and families during this time.
Jill Mathews, Chief Officer, and Tim Diggle, Operations Director, from Derby and Burton Hospitals Charity visited Treetops along with Ellie Orton Chief Executive, NHS Charities Together.
They were presented with a framed Treetops Hospice nurse tunic as a thank you from us.
Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive, NHS Charities Together said: “We are so proud to have helped fund this invaluable project at Treetops Hospice.
“The Roaming Nurse Service has enabled hundreds of patients in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire to die in their own homes.
“This is a personal choice that means a great deal to them and their loved ones. We thank everyone who fundraised and donated to help make this service possible.”
Jill Mathews, Chief Officer, Derby and Burton Hospitals Charity said: “Receiving the Treetops nurse tunic as a recognition of the grant provided by Derby and Burton Hospitals to fund the Roaming Nurse Service is a wonderful way to say thank you to our generous supporters, kind-hearted volunteers and the Charity team.”
The Roaming Nurse Service was set up as part of the emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was established to help alleviate unprecedented pressures on the NHS at the time.
An initial grant from Barclays Foundation and a car loan from Toyota Manufacturing UK Ltd helped to kickstart the Roaming Nurse Service in 2021.