Treetops Hospice Care approached Toyota to loan the charity a vehicle for a Hospice at Home ‘Roaming Service’ whereby a registered nurse and healthcare assistant respond to calls for assistance throughout the night from Treetops nurses and to patients referred to the Hospice at Home service.
Toyota was quick to respond with the loan of an Avensis Auto Tourer Estate, which means the Roaming Service team can visit up to seven more Treetops patients each night and help with symptom or pain management. The team have full PPE and care kit.
Treetops provides nursing care and emotional support for adults with life-limiting conditions such as cancer, neurological conditions, and heart and respiratory conditions.
The Roaming Service complements the existing Treetops Hospice at Home nurses who provide palliative care for patients overnight in their own homes.
We can care for even more patients and alleviate pressures on the NHS
Philippa Shreeve
Phil Shreeve, Director of Clinical Services, explained more:
“At present, our Hospice at Home nurses are providing overnight and day care for patients at the very end of life, who’ve chosen to die at home. This service is continuing as normal as we know how vital it is for families to know their loved one is being cared for whilst they get a few hours’ sleep or a break.
“The new Roaming Service means we can care for even more patients and alleviate pressures on the NHS.
“As an example, our Hospice at Home nurses can call the Roaming Service for help to deliver pain medication to a patient.
This service simply wouldn’t exist were it not for the help of Toyota
“We also have families that perhaps don’t need a Treetops nurse to sit with a patient for a whole night, but might need to call with a one-off request. They can now call the Roaming Service who can respond quickly and who have an existing knowledge of the patient and their needs.
“Previously, if a family recognised their loved one was in pain or deteriorating, they would call the 111 out-of-hours service. They would assess the situation and send out a District Nurse but this could mean a wait as the service is extremely busy. Our Roaming Team may be closer and be able to respond more quickly, helping to take pressure off the out of hours nursing team from Derbyshire Health United.
“This service simply wouldn’t exist were it not for the help of Toyota. We needed a vehicle that our nurses could use each evening for several hours and potentially drive hundreds of miles across the city and county to deliver care. For this reason, we want to say a huge thank you from everyone at Treetops and on behalf of all the families and patients receiving care.”
We’re pleased that we’ve been able to support their Roaming Service
Jim Crosbie, Managing Director, Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK said:
“These are challenging times for everyone but especially for healthcare and frontline workers. Toyota Manufacturing UK Charitable Trust has had a long-standing relationship with Treetops Hospice Care and is aware that they play a vital role in our community.
“We’re pleased that we’ve been able to support their Roaming Service with the loan of a vehicle that allows them to reach an even greater number of people and more rapidly.”
The Hospice at Home nurses have been taking it in turns to assist with the Roaming Service and the responses from families and nurses have been very positive.
We are literally a phone call away and this has already been a great comfort to many families
Nicola Ward, who has worked for Treetops as a registered nurse for nearly five years, said:
“Since the Roaming Service has started, it has made it possible for us to reach more patients through the night than before. We are literally a phone call away and this has already been a great comfort to many families. It is a real honour to provide this new service to our patients as it ensures they are receiving the very best care.
“This service really complements our Hospice at Home Service, enabling us to nurse patients in their preferred place of care (at home) and giving families the confidence to carry on.”
The Hospice at Home Service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Support during the day offers between three and six hours, whilst the night service offer nine hours from 10pm.
All the care that is delivered offers families and carers vital respite, whilst excellent individualised care and support is given to the patient.
Treetops has predicted a huge £1.4m loss in income in the coming months, due to the temporary closure of all their charity shops, and postponement or cancellation of many fundraising events. The charity launched an appeal in March asking for donations to ensure they can continue to provide Hospice at Home nursing care throughout the pandemic.