Local Hospice Care charity, Phyllis Tuckwell, has recently received a generous and ongoing donation from local organisation Fleet Hospital and Community Friends.

The donation of £50,000 a year for the next five years was made after a former Fleet resident left a substantial amount of money to Fleet Hospital and Community Friends, with the intention of it being used for community care. It will be used to fund up to 50% of the palliative care in the community which Phyllis Tuckwell provides to patients and families living with a terminal illness, such as cancer, in the GU51 and GU52 postcodes (Fleet and the surrounding area).

The community care which Phyllis Tuckwell offers its patients is co-ordinated by Community Nurse Specialists, who visit patients and their families at home to provide expert advice, assess their individual needs, improve their quality of life and help them with advance care planning. The Hospice Care at Home nursing team provide hands-on nursing care for those who wish to spend their last weeks and days in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes, rather than in a hospital or at the Hospice.

“We would like to thank Fleet Hospital and Community Friends for this huge and incredibly generous donation, which will go towards funding the Hospice Care which we provide for patients and relatives in Fleet who are receiving our care in their own homes” said Sarah Brocklebank, Chief Executive of Phyllis Tuckwell. “We work hard to care for our patients and families wherever they want to be, and look after an increasing number outside of the Hospice building. Last year our CNS’s cared for over 1,500 patients at home, while our Hospice Care at Home nurses looked after over 500 patients at home, during their last weeks of life.”

Fleet Hospital and Community Friends is a voluntary group which raises money to improve local health care, ensuring that the care and comfort available to patients in the area is above and beyond that provided by the NHS.

“The Trustees of Fleet Hospital and Community Friends are delighted to be able to contribute to such a worthwhile cause with this wonderful bequest, which is a gift to all of the residents of Fleet,” said HarrieGlossop of Fleet Hospital and Community Friends. “As well as supporting Fleet Hospital and its services, we also support the care which is delivered in the community. We will all, at some point in our lives, have to deal with the death of a loved one, and this grant will benefit many people.”

If you would like to find out more about the Hospice Care which Phyllis Tuckwell provides for those living with a terminal illness, across the whole of West Surrey and part of North East Hampshire, please visit www.pth.org.uk