Queen Elizabeth Hospital Charity (QEHB) is offering comfort care packs for patients nearing the end of their life, and their families, in a pilot project funded by the hospital's own charity.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB), which runs QEHB, introduced the pilot across 10 clinical areas, including 2 critical care areas and the Coronary Care Unit.

The project will run for three months before being evaluated.

Items in the comfort care packs range from hand and body lotion and lip balm, to pre-moistened mouth swabs, all of which are aimed at providing patients with comfort and relief.

Also included are snacks and drinks for relatives who may be reluctant to leave the patient’s bedside, as well as toiletries to refresh themselves.

Picture frames are also included for family photos, while a free car parking scheme is available for relatives visiting dying patients in hospital.

Tracy Nightingale, Associate Director of Nursing (Corporate), said the main aim of the packs was to offer items not usually supplied by the NHS to patients and relatives.

She said: “The packs aim to demonstrate that, although staff are busy, the hospital does care about patients and their families and are a sign of our condolences at this difficult time.

“The act of being able to give the packs will also help staff to start conversations which they sometimes have difficulty initiating due to the situation.

“Staff can feel that they do not wish to intrude on families when they are sitting with their loved one who is dying when, in fact, the opposite is true and the family would really appreciate a member of staff coming into the room.”    

Other clinical areas nominated to take part in the pilot include oncology, frailty, and multi-specialty medicine.

Once completed, the project will be evaluated by a review of questionnaires regarding the content of the items included in the packs, as well as through Bereavement Service questionnaire responses. A decision will then be made as to whether to extend the scheme across all clinical areas of the trust.