12,000th patient celebration for NNUH Red Cross Service

The Red Cross support service operating out of the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) is celebrating supporting its 12,000th patient.

In the same week as National Red Cross Week, the service’s 12,000th patient, Linda Sells, from West Earlham, Norwich, has just been safely discharged to her home with the help of the Red Cross team.

Linda said: “The support I have received from the Red Cross and the care from the Norfolk and Norwich hospital has been great. With the treatment provided by the staff nurses on the wards I am now better and the Red Cross team can help to ensure that I don’t return – regardless of how nice the staff have been! I care for my dad at home and without me he had no one, I was more concerned about him than I was myself and without the help I have received from the Red Cross I don’t know what I would have done.”

The Red Cross volunteering army has grown from 24 individuals, when it first started 24 years ago in 1991, to a team of 80 today working alongside the resident NNUH volunteer scheme, the Red Cross volunteers provide an Older People’s Outreach service to patients admitted and discharged from NNUH to ensure they are discharged safely and provide additional support for those who need it the most.

The Red Cross team carry out a variety of tasks for the patients referred to them including:
• Delivering equipment to patients’ homes.
• Helping people to receive support from the correct sources i.e. mental health and financial assistance
• Ensuring no one is discharged without a support network around them
• Providing food supplies to those being discharge who had no next of kin
• Providing clothes for patients who have been admitted to hospital without a spare pair of clothes or going to get necessary belonging from home.
• Signposting patients to various groups especially lonely patients who wish to join support groups
• Sitting at home with patient whilst carer takes a needed break
• Dealing with housing and benefit issues. And more….

Chris Collict, Red Cross “Support At Home” Coordinator said: “As a team we do whatever we can to make the lives of patients who come into our care better. That might be taking them out shopping and helping them to regain their confidence and independence to simply having a cup of tea and a chat for those who may not see anyone all week. It is a great achievement that the service has reached this milestone and we are incredibly pleased to have got this far and all totally free of charge.”

To volunteer with the Red Cross you can contact 01603 288320.

Notes to Editors
National Red Cross Week 3 – 9th May and you can donate to the Red Cross here http://www.redcross.org.uk/en/Get-involved/Volunteer