Local Hospice Care charity Phyllis Tuckwell has recently received a grant for £5,000 from ABF The Soldiers’ Charity
The Soldiers’ Charity has given an annual grant to Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care (PTHC) since 2002, as some of the patients whom the charity cares for have served in the Army. In 2015, Phyllis Tuckwell cared for around 2,000 terminally ill patients, 58 of whom had served in the army – like Day Hospice patient Frank Kilnan – and a further 17 of whom whose spouse had been in the Army.
“I look forward to coming to the Hospice,” says Frank. “I visit once a week, and I like the social aspect.”
“We didn’t know Phyllis Tuckwell offered as much as it does,” adds his daughter, Natalie. “Every week one of the Day Hospice nurses will ring me up to ask how Dad has been over the last few days and how things are at home. It’s a very caring place. They live up to their name here. Coming here means a lot to Dad, and to me too.”
This latest grant from The Soldiers’ Charity will go towards Phyllis Tuckwell’s Hospice Care at Home (HCAH) service, which cares for and supports patients who have decided that they would prefer to spend their last days in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes, rather than in hospital or at the Hospice. The HCAH nurses provide palliative nursing care for patients, as well as emotional and practical support for their families and carers.
“We would like to thank The Soldiers’ Charity for this generous grant,” said Anna Coassin, Individual Giving & Grants Manager at Phyllis Tuckwell. “It will go towards strengthening our Hospice Care at Home team so that we can provide even better support and care for patients who wish to spend their final weeks and days at home.”
Brigadier (Ret’d) Robin Bacon, Chief of Staff, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity adds: “We are here to provide a lifetime of support to all those soldiers who have served their country. They deserve to live their lives with dignity, and by supporting Phyllis Tuckwel, we are helping them get the best of care in their difficult circumstances.”
Phyllis Tuckwell provides supportive and end of life care for adult patients and families living with a terminal illness (such as cancer, heart, lung or neurological disease) in West Surrey and North East Hampshire. Every day it supports over 250 patients, relatives and carers – in their own homes, at the Hospice in Farnham and at the Beacon Centre in Guildford – through a mix of medical and nursing care, therapies, counselling, social work and practical support. However, as the NHS/Government only covers 20% of its costs, it has to raise over £20,000 a day to be able to offer all of these services, free of charge, to patients and their families, and therefore relies heavily on the support of grants such as these.
To find out more about Phyllis Tuckwell and the Hospice Care which it offers, visit www.pth.org.uk