The team in Ward 2 Lurgan Hospital have introduced new ‘comfort trolleys’ for relatives sitting with patients who are nearing the end of life.
The trolleys include tea and coffee making essentials and light snacks, along with toiletry items for relatives to freshen up.
Every year, staff at Lurgan Hospital look after a number of dying patients and their families as Pat Nugent, Head of Service for the Southern Trust’s Non Acute Hospitals explains:
“As a Non Acute Hospital, our team at Lurgan specialise in offering high quality rehabilitation services. However in some cases patients are sadly unable to rehabilitate and can deteriorate to the stage of requiring end of life care, known as Palliative Care. As a very emotional time for the whole family, this involves looking after the patient as well as their loved ones, with great compassion.
“Understandably, families want to spend as much time as possible with their loved one at the end of life and we do everything we can to allow this, supporting them with their emotional as well as physical needs.
“Often families don’t want to leave their relative to go for refreshments during their last hours or don’t want to ask staff, who they feel are already very busy looking after patients.
“The Trolley which is left in the patient’s room for families to help themselves is a very simple and inexpensive solution.
“I sincerely thank those staff members who came up with this simple concept which will go a long way in offering a little bit of comfort during a very difficult time.”
The trolleys are now available on all wards in Lurgan and Loane House, South Tyrone Hospital having won a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style competition for funding at the Trust’s Quality Improvement Event last year.
