A family has made a heartfelt donation to Ward C3, the stroke unit at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital, in recognition of the care and compassion shown by the team there.
Elaine Currid was a patient on the ward last year, sadly at the same time as her husband Raymond was admitted to the hospital’s Acute Medical Unit with a head injury.
When they were given the devastating news that Elaine was end of life, the ward team went above and beyond to bring the family together. Raymond was moved to the ward to be with her and fold-out beds were also arranged so their three children, Elizabeth, Martyn and Caroline, could stay overnight and spend time with both parents
Elaine died a week later.
Now in a gesture of gratitude, the family gifted a new fold-out visitor bed to the ward, to help families stay close to loved ones in hospital. The bed was brought from monies raised in memory of Elaine, via ELHT&Me, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust’s official charity.
Elizabeth said: “We can’t thank the team on the stroke ward enough. Their kindness and compassion were exceptional.
“Being able to stay with both our parents overnight and especially having a fold-out bed to rest near them, brought so much comfort during the hardest week of our lives. It meant everything to us.
“Donating a bed with the money we collected in memory of her felt like the least we could do to help other families. Mum would’ve wanted that.”
Elaine and her husband Raymond, who are from Padiham, were both brought into the emergency department at Blackburn in November 2024 by ambulance after a heartbreaking turn of events.
While working outside his garage, Raymond fell from a ladder. Their daughter Elizabeth came to his aid and asked Elaine to make a cup of tea while she tended to Raymond. Moments later, Elizabeth found her mother collapsed on the floor – she had suffered a bleed on the brain.
Elaine was admitted to the Acute Stroke Unit and Raymond to the Acute Medical Unit with a head injury and five fractured ribs.
Following her death, Raymond was transferred to Clitheroe Community Hospital and has since been discharged home.
Ward Manager, Vicky Ramsden, said: “When I heard that Elaine’s husband and family wished to donate a fold out bed for use on the stroke unit due to the care they received from us I was really touched.
“It shows how one act of kindness can have a massive impact to the point where they wish to reciprocate that for others who may sadly be in a similar position they were in.
“I wish to thank them for their kindness, the bed will have a big impact on many families by enabling them to stay with their loved ones when they are unwell or at the end of their life. Those moments are precious, and you never get them back.”
The donation was accepted by the unit and ELHT&Me, the official charity for ELHT, which helps fund additional equipment, services and project to improve the hospital experience for patients, families and staff.
Anyone wishing to support the charity or donate to a ward can do so via ELHT&Me. Visit their website here: https://www.elhtandme.co.uk/