A recent study conducted by the Royal College of Physicians reveals that most hospitals in England are failing to provide 24 hour face to face palliative care specialists.
This is not because they do not want to but because resources are stretched.
The Myton Hospices have teams of dedicated experts in palliative care who are currently working in partnership with local hospitals to ensure that patients with a terminal illness living in Coventry and Warwickshire have a more positive experience; there is one clear aim – to make sure that as many patients as possible can live well until the very last moments of their life.
The demand for good end of life care is growing and everyone involved in caring for people at the end of their life are aware that this is a serious issue, not just for patients but also for their families who are already going through an incredibly difficult time.
We are committed to opening more beds by the end of May and we are working hard to ensure they have the right staffing levels to accommodate more patients.
Everyone deserves to live well for as long as possible and this is at the heart of hospice care. We believe everyone has the right to a good, natural death, the way they want it to be and with their loved ones supported- Myton and local healthcare providers are working in partnership to make this happen.
Director of Nursing at The Myton Hospices, Michelle Linnane, said. “Myton can offer advantages over the acute hospitals by providing a calm, peaceful environment which is designed specifically to care for patients where curative treatment is no longer possible. Myton nurses are experts in providing a high standard of care where dignity and respect remains at the very heart of everything we do“.
In March 2011, Yvonne Hall from Coventry was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour and was initially given between 9 to 15 months to live. However, following 6 weeks of intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Yvonne’s tumour had shrunk by half and Yvonne went straight back to work.
Yvonne, 54, first came into contact with The Myton Hospices when she started attending the day hospice every Friday after being referred by her GP. Yvonne attended The Myton Hospices for over a year and enjoyed being able to take part in arts and crafts as well as receiving complementary therapies.
Yvonne also stayed in the inpatient unit at Coventry Myton Hospice on two separate occasions.
During her second stay, Yvonne and her family even enjoyed a family BBQ in the hospice grounds thanks to help from Myton staff. Yvonne’s family were also given the opportunity to use the relative’s accommodation, a service which the family said meant a great deal to them.
Before Yvonne began attending Myton her family said they had a dim perception of hospices, believing that they were purely a place to die. Now they say they don’t know what they would have done without Myton and if they find themselves in a similar situation to that of Yvonne, they themselves would like to be cared for at Myton.
We hope to improve our accessibility and ensure our services are available to more patients across Coventry and Warwickshire so that they are able to receive the same level of high quality care and support that Yvonne and her family received.
For more information about our work, please visit www.mytonhospice.org or should you like to speak to a member of the team about referring a patient or to arrange a visit please call Michelle Linnane on 01926 838 884.