St Elizabeth Hospice calls on coastal communities to Sponsor a Nurse

Since launching in April 2019, more than 2,000 patients and their families, have received support through the varied specialist care provision of the partnership between St Elizabeth Hospice and East Coast Community Healthcare (ECCH).

The joint initiative was established to provide specialist palliative care from the point of diagnosis of a life-limiting condition. This is facilitated by the ECCH and St Elizabeth Hospice community teams coordinating and simplifying the care service for patients and their families meaning it can be more effective at managing their last days in the way they wish and supporting people with advanced care planning.

However, with research showing the demand for palliative care is estimated to grow 25.4% by 2040, the independent Suffolk charity, St Elizabeth Hospice, is calling on the local community to join its new campaign, Sponsor a Nurse.

A campaign which aims to meet this growing demand and enable St Elizabeth Hospice to provide more nurses in the local community and to continue increasing the quality of end-of-life care provision in Great Yarmouth and Waveney for years to come.

Pauline Donkin, Head of Individual Giving and Supporter Care at St Elizabeth Hospice, said: “All our staff are incredible and with the support of local community and our 1,500 volunteers, the hospice has been caring for patients and their families throughout Suffolk for many years.

“Every year we are amazed and humbled by the support the community gives us through raising funds and hosting events in aid of the hospice. Put simply without community support, the hospice would not be what it is today.

“With research showing the need for palliative care is going to increase substantially in the future, we are launching our Sponsor a Nurse campaign to meet this demand. Through Sponsor a Nurse we are calling on the community to show their love for the hospice and help us ensure we can be here today, tomorrow and in years to come to support local people and their families through the most difficult periods of their lives.”

Currently a team of 61 nurses work, both full-time and part-time, for St Elizabeth Hospice. These nurses carry out a variety of roles to provide care to patients and their families. Whether working at the hospice’s inpatient unit in Ipswich, working for its 24-hour advice line, OneCall, through to providing care at Beccles Hospital or visiting patients in their homes throughout East Suffolk, Great Yarmouth and Waveney, hospice nurses support those who need their care whenever and wherever it is needed.

From as little as £5 a month over a year, a donation which would fund one 90-minute consultation with a Nurse Consultant, signing up to Sponsor a Nurse will make a difference to St Elizabeth Hospice and its nurses. Helping the hospice to plan for the future and ensure it can continue to evolve and expand its vital services to care for patients and their families in the local community for years to come.

“It’s been nearly ten years since I joined the hospice. Every day is different and brings its own challenges but I am proud to be a part of the team working in Great Yarmouth and Waveney,” explains Jeramy Philpott who works as a nurse consultant in palliative care for St Elizabeth Hospice in Great Yarmouth and Waveney.

“I am local to the area myself and I know it has been lacking in the availability of specialist palliative care provision, in comparison to the wider region, and it is our aim to continue expanding our services to support more people who need our care. It’s this ambition which motivates me every day.”

For further information about Sponsor a Nurse and read stories from hospice nurses, visit www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/sponsor-a-nurse/.

For more information about the partnership’s services in Great Yarmouth and Waveney visit www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/how-we-can-help/hospice-care/great-yarmouth_and-waveney.