Hartlepool hospice opens up about Covid-19 challenges and promises to treat patients as one of their own family

Tracy Woodall has spoken about the challenges restrictions on movement and visiting is having on the hospice – but has pledged to treat each and every patient as if they are one of their own family.

Ms Woodall also said hospices are having to fight harder to receive the same level of recognition and support as hospitals and care homes during this time.

Alice House, in Wells Avenue, is helping the NHS with their community and end of life patients.

Due to the pandemic, no visiting is allowed and volunteers are currently not allowed to work.

Ms Woodall said: “We have had to ensure Government visiting guidelines are followed which challenges our hospice values and beliefs, and which we all find very difficult to come to terms with.

“However, I would like to assure the families of our patients that we continue treat every patient as if they are our own.

“We are their family and will be with them; supporting and loving them as if they were our own mother, father, brother, sister, husband, wife, son or daughter.”

Following a BBC report which showed the challenges faced by a hospice in Cheshire, Ms Woodall added: “Hospices need the same level of consideration and support as hospitals and care homes because our staff are also frontline care workers.

“They have families of their own and are scared too, but they continue to come in every day, prepared to love and support all of our patients, with or without COVID and they should not be forgotten.”

She added: “Unfortunately, the true value of hospice care will only be noticed when local hospices, like Alice House, are no longer there and communities are forced into struggling to get good end of life care elsewhere in the healthcare system.”

To find out how you can help support Alice House Hospice at this time visit www.alicehousehospice.co.uk or see their Facebook and Twitter.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you.