Every Goodbye Matters

Working in our hospitals, I’ve seen firsthand how important it is for families to be close to their loved ones at the end of life.

We always ask relatives if they would like to stay and very
often, they say yes.

But too often, we don’t have the means to make that possible.

Colleagues can spend hours trying to locate a Z-bed, sometimes more than six hours and even then, they may not be able to find one. In fact, in over a third of cases, a bed for a family member isn’t available at all.
That means families who want to stay through the night, to sit, to rest, or simply to be there are sometimes unable to do so.
That’s incredibly difficult for them, and for the staff trying to support them.
Through this appeal, we want to change this. We’ve already set up a clear process and better coordination; we’ve reduced waiting times to under an hour and ensured that every family in our pilot areas received a bed when they needed one.

But we need to go further.

With your support, we can increase the number of Z-beds available across our hospitals, making sure that every family can have the opportunity to stay close at such a critical time.

This is about more than a bed, it’s about compassion, dignity, and being able to stay with your Mum, Dad, child or friend at the end. You can help make this possible.

Thank you for helping us.

Michael Reeve
Quality Excellence Support Worker
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

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