Letter to the Editor | It’s business as usual for Overstrand Hospice

Writer: John Ross-Smith Chairman, Overstrand Hospice.

The media are so focused on the current lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic that we sometimes forget that other health care services are continuing as normal.

Overstrand Hospice is an essential service to the community and our nursing and care staff are on the frontline. We are currently caring for around 60 patients and their families providing counselling, pain and symptom management, and emotional and spiritual support, often in very difficult circumstances.

The selfless devotion and commitment of our staff is an inspiration to us all. We also appreciate the close working relationship we have with the medical profession who are challenged with having to make tough decisions daily on prioritising their patient loads across the medical spectrum.

The following statistics put our service into perspective: Overstrand Hospice receives between 10 and 15 new patients very month and sadly have to deal with a similar number of deaths over the same period. In the last 12 months we had around 170 patients who passed away.

Click below to read more. (The full article can be found on page 7)