Hospiscare Together Magazine Autumn 2020

We developed our use of technology
In keeping with general practitioners, we are using
secure video calling for consultations with patients
through a platform called AccuRX. This enables our
doctors and nurses to communicate face-to-face with
patients and carers during this time without putting
patients and staff at risk of contracting the virus.
The staff at our hospice have been using secure virtual
platforms for clinical meetings and to keep in touch
with each other. With less time spent travelling, we
have noticed that we are able to spend more time with
the patients and families who need us. This has also
allowed us to take advantage of our specialist palliative
medical team’s advice more readily and more often.
After a year-long project, we launched our new
Hospiscare website. At this time when communication
is more important than ever, having a streamlined
platform for advice, resources and information about
our services is vital. Patients, families and healthcare
professionals can use our new website to access a
wide range of support and information, from videos
and digital leaflets to updates about our fundraising
activities and Hospiscare shops.
We worked together to overcome the difficulties
our charity faced
One of the testing things for us during the pandemic
has been managing the volume of information from
the government and specialist services. Our team has
reviewed every recommendation before deciding if
changes need to be put into place. From mid-March to
the end of June, we reviewed and acted on 320 pieces
of information relevant to managing care during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Looking after our staff at this time has presented
additional challenges as many are working remotely
and therefore communication and inclusion has
been more important than ever. We have put in place
additional touchpoints to ensure staff can voice their
questions and access any support they need.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was sparse at first
and although the availability of PPE has now improved,
we still have to monitor our stock levels and require
regular deliveries. We cannot thank our supporters
enough for coming to our aid when we put out a call for
PPE; their donations of PPE have been a huge help.
The need for PPE has presented our charity with a
new financial challenge. With many of our fundraising
events cancelled and our shops only just beginning
to re-open, our income was drastically affected. We
shared the news that we have predicted a minimum
loss of £1 million this financial year due to the impact
of coronavirus on our fundraising. The community’s
response has been phenomenal and our supporters
have found innovative ways of fundraising during this
difficult time. We continue to face the challenge of
raising 85% of the funds needed to run our vital service
and we are constantly adapting to meet this challenge.
We have been missing our volunteers. In the early days
of the pandemic, we needed to reduce the footfall in
our buildings to keep our patients safe and therefore
volunteers were unable to carry out their duties. In
addition, many of our volunteers have been unable to
fulfil their roles as they are part of a vulnerable group.
We hope that in accordance with government guidance,
we can begin to welcome volunteers back to our charity
safely over the coming months.
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