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.

With government guidance changing……..11.1.2021

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 follow the new guidance and:

• 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.
• That you follow the isolation guidelines and stay at home and isolate for 14 days if you have been in contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and / or if you have been contacted by the track and trace system.

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.

For more information about our operational response, please click here.

With government guidance changing on the 04.01.21 and us moving into another national lockdown, we have again taken the opportunity to review our current advice for visiting at East Cheshire Hospice.

Please note that whilst we are doing our very best to maintain a COVID safe environment here at the hospice, we cannot guarantee 100% safety whilst allowing visitors into the building and that you need to consider the potential risk you are taking yourself.

Visiting at the Hospice has been restricted in line with government guidelines and is under regular 2 weekly review.

• For patients admitted for symptom management it is with deepest regret that no visitors will be permitted.
• For patients who are nearing the end of their life we are allowing two named visitors at any time to stay with their loved one. These will be the same two named visitors throughout the patient’s admission.

For further guidance and information please discuss with the Nurse in charge on the ward.

We need to ensure that all relatives attending the IPU adhere to COVID Lateral Flow Swabbing and strict PPE wearing when visiting the IPU and for the duration of their visit.

Our request is that:

• You stay at home unless you consider the visit to be essential as our patients are extremely vulnerable. Any exposure and contracting of the virus within our patients and staff groups will mean that our unit will have to shut.
• Two named persons only allowed to visit to a patient.
  • Please consider, and where possible limit, the amount of social/work contacts you have on a day to day basis, the more contacts a visitor has externally, the higher the risk of transmission of the virus to your loved one, our patients and staff.
• That you DO NOT VISIT THE HOSPICE if you are feeling unwell, particularly with a high temperature, a new continuous cough or new loss of sense of smell/taste – stay at home and seek guidance from Public Health England.
• If you have been in contact with a symptomatic or positive case, or have been alerted by track and trace, please remain in isolation, and DO NOT VISIT THE HOSPICE.

While the Hospice remains open 24 hours a day, unplanned visiting will not be permitted.

We do appreciate how difficult this for all members of families therefore at other times when visiting cannot be facilitated, will always do our very best to help with supporting video and telephone calls to your loved one.  This will need to be discussed with the hospice team to ensure that time can be set aside to support this.

For more information about the visiting times and process please do not hesitate to contact the Hospice or click here.

Please be aware due to current circumstances visiting regulations may be subject to change at very short notice.

As of the week commencing 11.1.2021 all face to face outpatient appointments have been suspended and will be reviewed February 2021in line with the National Guidance review.  Support can still be accessed via Telehealth Communications.

Our Adult and Child family support services are still open, again supported by telehealth or video consultations.

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.

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