Staff Recognition Week: Finding new ways to 'live well' with the John Eastwood Hospice

Throughout week commencing 21 – 25 September, we are holding a special staff Recognition Week to say thank you to our fabulous staff for everything they have done over the past few difficult months and continue to do during the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Recognition Week will showcase and celebrate the amazing work of our staff and how they have been innovative in adapting their practices to ensure that our patients and service users have continued to get the very best care and treatment possible throughout this time. The commitment of our staff to making a difference in these unprecedented times is truly inspiring.  You can read about our inspiring staff and how they have adapted during the pandemic below. 

The day services at John Eastwood Hospice closed for patient safety just ahead of the coronavirus lockdown, but the team was determined this wouldn’t mean an end to the support they offer.

The team works with a wide range of people, from those first receiving a diagnosis of long term ill health to those nearing the end of life. During the pandemic they have been supporting individuals at a distance, while also working hard to redesign services for the future, so they can get up and running again as quickly as possible.

John Eastwood Hospice team

Tailoring support to individual interests

Michelle Stendall, Lead Therapist/Living Well Centre Lead says that a brilliant team from the hospice day services, including a therapy assistant practitioner, a complementary therapist, an activity coordinator, an occupational therapist and a physiotherapist have all supported clients with regular phone calls to check on their wellbeing and signpost to further support if required.

“We also put together support packs designed to appeal to each person’s individual interests where possible,” she said. “For example we sent some supplies to one lady who was keen on making cards, and others received quizzes, arts and crafts materials and seeds to be planted at home, as well as information on managing their symptoms.

“A lot of our clients have a life limiting condition, so the psychological and symptom control support we offer has been vital. We’re really looking forward to welcoming our clients back soon and we’ve invested a lot of time in developing new ways to deliver our services in a Covid-secure way.”

A new way of delivering services

The redesigned therapeutic day services are being accompanied by a new name, chosen alongside patents, of The John Eastwood Living Well Centre.

“We put ourselves in our patients’ shoes to see what we would want from the centre, and we hope the new services will meet all their needs,” said Michelle.

The team will be supporting patients using a traffic light system. Green sessions are for patients who are newly diagnosed with cancer or a long term condition. They are wellbeing focused, including arts, crafts, yoga, and horticulture. Amber sessions are for patients who are less well, but still relatively independent. Activities will focus on symptom management and helping them live independently for as long as they’re able. Red sessions will be for patients who require more involvement from more members of the specialist palliative care team, including consultants, clinical psychology and chaplaincy. Activities will focus on quality of life with loved ones and helping to create lasting memories, such as afternoon teas and movie days. Patients will also have the opportunity to create memory boxes for their loved ones.

Michelle said: “We will be welcoming patients to our amber sessions in limited numbers from mid-September and slowly introduce the green and red days as soon as Covid allows.  We will of course continue telephone and virtual support for other patients in the meantime.

“Under the traffic light system, people will be able to move between the green, amber and red sessions as appropriate for their needs without having to be discharged and re-referred.”

Rising to the challenge

The day services team has also supported the hospice by becoming its swabbing team, providing Covid-19 tests for inpatients. Michelle says it has been a challenge for the team to pull all the work in while developing new ways to deliver services.

“They have really risen to the challenge, worked hard and taken ownership. While we’re really looking forward to welcoming clients back, we’re also excited that by using new technologies, such as virtual face-to-face conversations on video calls, we can further develop our services moving forwards for people who, because of their condition, aren’t able to travel to our physical building, improving equity of access.”

Janet from Mansfield has been under the care of the service since September 2019 and received both phone calls and care packages from the team during lockdown. She said: “The care has been absolutely brilliant, particularly during lockdown. It’s been a lifeline for me, seeing other people and knowing I’ve not been forgotten about.”

Helen, from Mansfield Woodhouse, has also been receiving support from the team since January 2020. She added: “The team has called me every week without fail and sent me craft materials through the post. It’s nice to know someone is thinking of you and to have a good conversation.”