Charity enhances end-of-life care during Covid crisis
Birmingham Community Healthcare Charity has enhanced its end of life care throughout the pandemic with some new initiatives.
Each year, the charity spends around £15,000 on projects, initiatives and items to support patients in their last months, to help families build memories together, provide treasured keepsakes and aid families and carers in processing their grief.
Donations to the End of Life appeal has helped the charity provide items such as Bereavement Memory Boxes, a way for families to celebrate the life of their loved ones, containing remembrance items such as memory candles and seeds, as well as providing a place for personal trinkets and photographs.
Lichfield-based artist Hannah Clark (pictured) designed framed prints for the charity, 100 of which have been provided to families accessing Community Children's Nurses and Children's Palliative Care teams, as a means to brighten the children 's day and provide a lasting celebration of the child 's life for their families.
And, thanks to the charity 's principal donor, Edward Cadbury Trust, as well as money raised from the PODUK digital podcast festival and funding from NHS Charities Together and Rhino Steel Cladding Limited, the charity was able to undertake a complete refurbishment of the bereavement room at Moseley Hall Hospital.
The charity team worked closely with clinical services to ensure that the newly-named Dandelion Room would offer a more inviting and tranquil atmosphere for reflection and meditation.
The room can also be used by staff to decompress after particularly difficult consultations.
The hope is that with support from Birmingham businesses and generous donations, further bereavement suites can be set up throughout BCHC 's services to provide more private and comfortable environments to aid families, carers and staff in dealing with bereavements.
Sarah Binks, charity manager, said: “2020 was a year like no other, with an increased number of deaths and reduced visiting on the wards, the extras we have been able to provide have been more important than ever.
“For families losing a loved one a small gesture in the form of a memory box or keepsake means so much.
“We need Birmingham behind us, helping us to raise the £15,000 each year to enable us to continue helping our patients, their families and the staff who support them. ”
As well as these ongoing initiatives, the charity provides funding for one-off projects such as provision of picture books about bereavement to help children process a loss in the family, information cards, and more.
If you would like to know more about the appeal or to make a donation to help support palliative care initiatives, please contact the charity team at BCHC.Charity@nhs.net or head over to the End of Life appeal page.