Desperate appeal for protective gear from children's hospice
A children's hospice has launched an urgent appeal for protective equipment to ensure parents can spend their last few hours with their children.
Hope House Children’s Hospices says it is desperate for specialist equipment to help them safely continue to provide crisis and end of life care to local terminally ill children.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is in short supply throughout the UK, with organisations such as hospices unable to access it through their usual suppliers.
During the coronavirus crisis, Hope House in Oswestry and Tŷ Gobaith in Conwy are continuing to offer specialist nursing care to families whose child is reaching the end of their life, and to families in crisis.
They are also working to support the NHS and free up hospital beds and resources by helping to avoid children with life threatening conditions from being admitted to hospital, as well as supporting children who have been discharged early from hospital for specialist care.
New guidelines mean that both nurses and parents need to wear protective equipment to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and to keep themselves and the children they are caring for safe.
Hope House Director of Care Karen Wright says: “That means not only do our nurses need to wear surgical gowns and masks, but parents do too if they are spending time with their child.
“We desperately need more equipment because we cannot get to the stage where parents are unable to be with their children and comfort them at the end of their lives. That would be unthinkable.”
The PPE equipment urgently needed at both Hope House and Tŷ Gobaith includes: Fluid resistant gowns and/or non fluid-resistant gowns; fluid resistant masks (Type 2); respirators (FFP3), disposable full face visors.
Any company with access to any of these items which can either donate or sell them to the hospices, please call 01691 671999.
