Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates & Management

East Cheshire Hospice care for people with life-limiting illnesses so it is important in the current and everchanging Coronavirus situation that we take all reasonable steps to protect the wellbeing of those using our services, our staff and volunteers.

Status as of 21st September 2020

We are doing all we can at East Cheshire Hospice to protect our patients and staff from the spread of COVID – 19 Coronavirus.

The safety of our patients and their families is our top priority.

The virus is still spreading in Cheshire East, therefore it is very important that you:

• Stay at home, wash your hands regularly and if you must go out, keep more than 2 metres distance between you and others not from your household.

If you are feeling unwell for any reason:

• Contact 119 who will advise you on the best way for the NHS to support you
• If you have a continuous new cough, a temperature of 37.8 degrees centigrade or higher or a loss of taste/smell, then please self-isolate even if you have had no contact with a confirmed case.

East Cheshire Hospice @Home Service and Inpatient Ward remain open to new referrals and staff are working hard to maintain our high standards of care in very challenging circumstances.  We are nursing all patients with the recommended Personal Protective Equipment and maintaining social distancing regulations within the unit and where possible in patient’s own homes.

Visiting at the Hospice has been restricted in line with government guidelines, however is now available at a specific time 4 days a week, to reduce the risk of infection spreading to our vulnerable patients, family members and staff. For more information about the visiting times and process please do not hesitate to contact the Hospice.

We continue to help patients stay connected to family and friends with the use of Facetime/video messaging, phone calls etc to maintain the links and support provided by family and friends which we are aware is vitally important at this very difficult time. For more information about visiting the Hospice click here.

As of the beginning of August, East Cheshire Hospice has been able to reintroduce its Outpatients’ appointments and Day Hospice Wellbeing programmes following a strict COVID safe policy. A reduced number of patients are now able to come into the Hospice for day time support and those that remain at home are contacted regularly by our staff via our Telehealth line, which enables us to help troubleshoot any problems they may have by offering advice or by signposting to other health care professionals.

Our Adult and Child family support services are still open, again supported by telehealth or video consultations and we are slowly introducing face to face appointments too.

A small number of volunteers have been returning in a safe manner to support us. Non-clinical staff have been set up with equipment to enable them to work from home, and some are returning to the Hospice building.

Read about our operational response to the current guidance here.

With the cancellation of so many fundraising activities, the Hospice is experiencing financial challenges as at no other point in its history. We are very grateful to the 100s of people who have already helped us deliver our care at this exceptionally difficult time.

You can help too:

www.eastcheshirehospice.org.uk/nowmorethanever

Read about our operational response to the current guidance here

Useful Links:

For the latest information about the Coronavirus in the UK and for those travelling or returning abroad visit: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

If you have either returned from or been in contact with someone who has travelled abroad within the past 14 days please use the above link to access the latest advice and guidance in relation to Coronavirus, before visiting the Hospice or accessing our services.

General advice to protect yourself and others and reduce the spread of the virus is:

1. Wash your hands more often than usual, for 20 seconds using soap and hot water, particularly after coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose, or after being in public areas where other people are doing so. Use hand sanitiser if that’s all you have access to.
2. To reduce the spread of germs when you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, or your sleeve (not your hands) if you don’t have a tissue, and throw the tissue away immediately. Then wash your hands or use a hand sanitising gel.
3. Clean and disinfect regularly touched objects and surfaces using your regular cleaning products to reduce the risk of passing the infection on to other people.

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