Hospice Chief executive praises staff during the Covid19 pandemic

HOSPICE CHIEF EXECUTIVE PRAISES STAFF FOR THEIR DEDICATION TO PATIENT CARE DURING COVID-19

ellenor’s Chief Executive praises staff for their dedication to patients living with life-limiting or terminal illness in Kent. ellenor provides specialised hospice care for patients of all ages at its hospice in Gravesend, through its community palliative care teams and within the home. As an independent local charity, ellenor is reliant on community support to deliver its work, having to reach an annual target of £7 million every year to provide care. Only a quarter of our funding is from the NHS. numbers due to Coronavirus. “As a nurse with over 36 years’ experience of caring for patients and their families myself, I know how lucky I am to lead a large team of passionate, dedicated healthcare professionals, support staff and volunteers, all of whom share one goal. This is to give every child or adult patient and their families the expert care and support we would want for our own loved ones, and, when the time comes, an end-of-life journey that is peaceful, comfortable and dignified. I would stress that the Coronavirus crisis in no way changes that goal, even though we know we will be asked to care for many more vulnerable people over the next few months. Our responsibility is to re-think and adapt the way we care for and support local people in our community, so we can still be there to provide the expert care they need. “Our patients, old and young, are the very people who are most vulnerable to this virus – and our nursing and clinical teams are at the front line of their care. The action

Vikki Harding, ellenor’s Chief Executive said, “We have never experienced anything like the Coronavirus. We have accelerated our work to help people stay safe, informed and connected. We are of course urging everyone – staff, patients and their families – to do all that is needed to look after themselves and their loved ones and to follow all the government instructions regarding protection.

“In these unprecedented moment times, we are making significant changes to our care services, to cope with a significant rise in patient