Charities, volunteer groups and members of the community across East Lancashire have been contributing to a project run at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, keeping those receiving treatment and their families connected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ‘Knitted Hearts’ scheme is run by the Trust’s Spiritual Care and Bereavement Care Teams, and involves sharing a pair of homemade hearts or angels - one stays with the patient whilst the other is given, if possible, to their family.
“The idea of the project is that the patient and their family have a connection, either whilst the patient receiving care in one of our hospitals, or after they have sadly passed away”, explains Tina Woods, Bereavement Nurse Specialist.
“This is accompanied by a letter explaining the concept behind the hearts, they are just small gesture, but they are really appreciated by families.”
The hearts have been donated by members of the local community, as well as ‘Heart in their Hand’, a small charity who donate hearts to hospitals and other care areas. The charity is currently producing specific keyrings for families who are bereaved of a loved one by COVID-19, and the Trust has received a donation of 50 keyrings from Friends of Serenity, who have support the Trust’s charity, ELHT&Me, for many years.
The Trust’s Specialist Palliative Care Nurses are distributing knitted hearts and angels to patients at end of life on the COVID-19 wards at Royal Blackburn and Burnley General Teaching Hospitals, as well as Pendle Community Hospital.
The ‘Knitted Hearts’ project is just one of the ways the Trust is supporting patients who sadly reach the end of life in hospital, and their families. iPads and other tablets are being used so that patients can video call their family and friends, many of them kindly donated by local companies and members of the community.
In a video shared on the Trust’s Facebook page, David Anderson, ELHT Chaplain, discussed the importance of support and comfort for patients at the end of their life. “One of the most important things to remind families is the truth; that we care about their loved ones. Your loved ones aren’t alone; we are here, giving our all. We’re making sure their loved one is not in pain, that they are in their own room, or a quiet bay, they have clean sheets, and that they are comfortable.” The full video can be viewed below, and on the Trust's Facebook page.