North Lincolnshire people living with life-limiting lung conditions and their families are set to benefit from a new programme of care to be provided by their local hospice – thanks to £40,000 of grant funding.
Lindsey Lodge Hospice has been awarded a major Hospice UK grant award through St James’s Place Charitable Grant Programme 2019 to provide the Breathe Easy Enablement Programme (BEEP) to support more patients diagnosed with progressive lung disease to participate in exercise, learn about their condition and how to self-manage at home. It will focus on providing personalised supportive care to enable them to ‘live well’, particularly for those approaching their last year of life.
Lindsey Lodge Hospice Director of Nursing and Patient Services Maureen Georgiou said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this prestigious grant, only weeks after receiving the Hospice UK Innovation in Care Award!
“We already have a successful Breathlessness Clinic, and have received significant feedback from our existing patients and carers that the interventions and support we provide has a direct impact on their day-to-day outlook and confidence to self-manage, as well as reducing the need to dial 999 and seek acute care.
“However, the demand for this service means there is currently a long waiting list, so this extra funding enables us to offer a new programme, with greater access to more patients with end of life lung disease and reduce our average length of wait, along with a support service for their carers.”
The Breath Easy Enablement Programme will be a collaboration of professionals based within the Hospice and externally, for example local GPs, complex care matrons and psychological services.
It will see Lindsey Lodge offering a rolling six-week programme throughout the year that will run once a week to offer patients an opportunity to participate in exercise, education and advanced care planning. In parallel to this their carer will be able to access a separate session focussing on relaxation, counselling support, or an hour of respite care.
Maureen added: “As the need for hospice services and our associated running costs increase, we, like many charity-run hospices continue to face financial challenges.
“The award of such a significant amount of grant funding acknowledges that despite these challenges, our passion for innovation continues to shine through and demonstrates our commitment to providing the best possible care for our patients and their families, at the time they need it most.”
Lindsey Lodge Hospice aims to launch the Breathe Easy Enablement Programme in March.
.jpg?lang=en-GB&width=800&height=573)