STAFF and volunteers at the Myton Hospices’ Rugby Support Hub have showed off improvements at the recently-reopened site to Rugby’s MP.
Mark Pawsey visited the Hub on the grounds of the Hospital of St Cross to find out more about the support it offers for patients and their carers in Rugby.
The Hub, which reopened in May after a revamp, brings experts and organisations from across the town under one roof to provide outpatient support for anyone aged 18 or over with a life limiting illness and their carers.
Mr Pawsey heard from Myton at Home nurses Faye Sawko and Nicola Hughes – who provide help at home for those in their final few weeks of life – about the challenges the charity faced during the coronavirus pandemic and the ways in which their support had to change during lockdown.
He also spoke to them about the holistic help Myton provides to patients and their families, such as offering respite care to enable a carer to take a break, or providing counselling for bereaved family members.
Hub manger Tracey Evans showed the MP facilities including physiotherapy support, counselling and a number of activity and support sessions.
And Myton Hospices Chief Executive Ruth Freeman spoke to Mr Pawsey about the importance of fundraising for the charity, especially after the challenges of the pandemic.
She said: “It was great to have the opportunity to show Mark our new Hub and to talk to him about the services we offer for the people of Rugby.
“We want to ensure that everyone who needs our services is able to access them and we want to reach out to people earlier in their illness.
“We are not only about end-of-life care. Often, people who have a terminal illness have a lot of living left to do and we want to support them to have the best possible quality of life, for as long as possible.
“We would welcome people to drop into the Hub or visit our website to find out more about how we can support them.”
Mr Pawsey said: “The work of Myton and their incredible team is absolutely invaluable for people at one of the hardest times of their life. What was extremely clear to me was the compassion and determination to help make the final days and weeks of people’s lives as comfortable as possible.
“The support which Myton offers goes much further than I realised ahead of my visit, with help available beyond the end-of-life care for family members.
“Myton are only able to offer this help thanks to the generous support of local residents and the importance of both raising funds and raising awareness of Myton’s work.
“I know that although the pandemic disrupted their ability to fundraise, they have returned to holding events and it was great to hear from Ruth, Tracey and the team how much they appreciate the fundraising of Rugby residents.”
Call 01788 550085, visit www.mytonhospice.org/services or visit the hub’s reception for more information.
The Myton Hospices charity needs to raise £9.1million this year to care for people with terminal illnesses at its sites in Rugby, Warwick and Coventry. Visit www.mytonhospice.org/how-you-can-support-us-2 to support the charity.
