In light of the latest coronavirus guidance from the government, we have updated our advice – please read (updated 12/04/21).
For hospice visitors
We are not currently accepting any non-essential visits into the hospice. This is to reduce footfall and protect our children and families and the staff who care for them.
All other visitors (families, staff, volunteers and contractors) will be given a lateral flow Covid test on arrival. This is a throat and nose swab test that takes just 30 minutes to get a result. Anyone receiving a positive result will need to leave the hospice and book a PCR test at a testing centre by calling 111. Please arrive at the hospice 30 minutes prior to your planned visit to give us time to administer the test and get the results back.
We also ask that anyone that does enter the hospice uses the hand sanitiser provided, wears a mask and adheres to social distancing guidelines – keeping 2 metres apart from others.
Where our staff members can work from home, they are being encouraged and supported to do so.
For our families
The lessons we learnt over the last 12 months have helped us adapt our care and family support services so that they are lockdown-proof, Covid-safe and mean families get the support they need at home or at the hospice. We have a good stock of PPE, excellent infection control measures in place, our care staff are regularly tested for Covid, as are all visitors to the hospice and vaccinations for our team are underway.
You will find details of the services and support we are providing to families here.
- We have a number of private Facebook groups for online peer to peer support. If you’d like to find out more about these, please visit our Coronavirus Support page.
- If your child’s condition deteriorates, please call our on-call team on 01484 411 042, available 24/7.
- Our Paediatric Consultant Dr Cat who has created this useful Q&A for parents. You'll find this and more support for families on our Coronavirus Support page.
If you have any questions or concerns or just need to talk to someone, please call 01484 411 042 – which is available 24/7.
For our supporters
The pandemic and the restrictions we must all adhere to continue to have a huge impact on our ability to raise the vital funds we need to continue to support local children and families. Over the last 12 months our supporters have stepped up brilliantly to help us raise the money we need. As the situation continues with no clear end in sight, we need you to continue to be brilliant! We’ve got lots of virtual events and challenges to get involved in and plenty of ways to support the 10th anniversary of our hospice, Russell House being built.
Thank you to everyone for your offers of help and kind thoughts - we are only here because of you and we need you more than ever.
Our shops are now open!
As the restrictions start to ease as part of the government’s roadmap, our shops have now reopened. But being closed for so long has had a massive impact – in fact we’ve suffered a £1 million loss in shop sales. So we need you to shop with us! Rest assured, we’ve have taken all the necessary steps to keep our staff, volunteers and customers safe.
Find your nearest shop here – and please ring ahead if you’re making a special trip with donations, as some of our shops have limited capacity. You can also still shop online – at our online shop and eBay store.
Last update: 12/04/2021