Sports roundup

we took just a few days ago is profound. We made plans to increase our in-patient beds from seven to fifteen – and to have those new beds open and ready for patients as soon as they are needed. Our staff are adapting work shifts and patterns and we are all now permanently on call – myself included – to lend a hand. Our expanded In-Patient Unit will continue to provide end-of-life care for local adults and we will continue to support adult patients in their own homes through our Community Nursing service.

“Children needing end-of-life care in our community will continue to be supported in their homes – but again this will increase substantially as hospital beds close. We provide chemotherapy at home to many children already – many more will need our support for this over the coming weeks. These changes will mean these exceptionally vulnerable children continue to receive the vital nursing care they need – while also again relieving pressure on our NHS colleagues.

“While our Day Therapy centre has been closed for the time being to avoid any possible spread of infection, our teams continue to communicate with patients and families in different ways to continue to provide the support they need. “We have had to close our shops and cancel the majority of our fundraising activities, which means a loss of income. There’s already been a huge drop in the fundraising income that pays for the lion’s share of our work. We have closed all our shops (except the one inside Darent Valley Hospital itself – the staff there have asked us to keep that open for them). We rely on the money our shops and events raise to pay for our essential care services. This sudden extra burden on our care teams places an even greater burden on our funds. We are updating our Facebook page regularly on changes to fundraising events.

“In this unprecedented time of uncertainty our dedicated team of healthcare professionals, support staff and volunteers are working tirelessly to support all our patients, and families during this difficult time and are working closely with our NHS colleagues to support the local community at this critical time. We remain committed to providing the best possible care and support to adults who come to the hospice – and to the children we will reach at home. I am immensely proud of our whole team’s commitment to their work and of how they are adapting to this ever-evolving situation. Together we will continue to support our community. “

SPORTS ROUND UP

We are all dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic in similar but different ways. One story from the Danish club FC Midtjylland stands out for me… they may have found a solution to have fans present at football matches after the coronavirus shutdown: drive-in football. The Danish Super League leaders announced plans that will allow around 2,000 cars to park around their stadium and watch matches from two big screens, with the possibility of 10,000 fans present. They even have the possibility to scaled up to a maximum of 12,000 cars. The club said it hopes to duplicate the audio from the TV commentary and make it available in cars through a specified frequency. Football in Denmark has been suspended indefinitely, along with the vast majority of European football leagues, so I can understand if this is an interesting proposition. However, I wonder how they plan to accommodate toilet breaks whilst social distancing? …just asking!!