Since launching in April 2019, more than 2,700 patients and their families in Great Yarmouth and Waveney have been supported by the free specialist palliative care provided by the joint partnership of St Elizabeth Hospice and East Coast Community Healthcare (ECCH).
Typically living with conditions such as cancer, heart failure, pulmonary fibrosis and neurological disorder, these patients have received free care through the partnership’s varied, specialist palliative care provision available at Beccles Hospital, in the community and through the service’s 24-hour advice line, OneCall.
One local resident who received this service was Albert Goldie of Hopton-on-Sea. His son, Andrew, explains why the support his Dad and his whole family received was so vital during difficult times.
“The hospice staff were invaluable to us. They provided great support and advice, as well as being there in times of need, we cannot thank them enough,” said Andrew.
“Their care meant Dad’s wish to remain at home, until his death, was made possible and that meant the world, during a time when then was so much uncertainty for us as a family.
“The hospice team were very reassuring. Often my stepmum, Diane, just needed a hug and the nurses were so lovely and caring, listening and helping her through the tough final weeks and days. I’m not sure we could have managed without them.”
Albert came under the care of the hospice team in June 2021. He had previously been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in September 2018, however, in 2021 his condition began to worsen.
Following scans and advice from doctors and an oncologist, he was referred to the St Elizabeth Hospice service in Great Yarmouth and Waveney, which provided support to him in his home in Hopton-on-Sea, before he passed away aged 82-years-old on 3rd October 2021.
Andrew added: “Dad was a happy, fun loving man who was everyone’s friend and always ready to offer a helping hand to someone in need, which is exactly what the hospice provided him and our family, a helping and reassuring hand.
“For most of his working life he was a lorry driver and a familiar face to many in the local community. He loved his holidays in the sun and he flew model aircraft as a hobby, while he was also a keen Norwich City supporter too.
“The difference the nurses made to us was amazing. None of us know what is round the corner or when we may need the care and compassion from organisations such as St Elizabeth Hospice, but when we do, their support is worth its weight in gold, so please do support this important charity and the vital work they do in our local community.”
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.
To contact the 24-hour specialist palliative care advice line, OneCall, call 0800 567 0111.