Birmingham hospices partner to launch single hub for care during Covid-19

Adult hospices across Birmingham and Solihull have come together to create a single hub to provide the very best care at the end of life during the Coronavirus outbreak.

HoBS – Hospices of Birmingham and Solihull – features Birmingham St Mary’s, John Taylor and the Marie Curie Hospice, West Midlands, joining forces to launch the new service which aims to provide rapid and expert support for local people and their families at the end of life.

Based at John Taylor Hospice, the HoBS team is formed of specialist nurses, supported by palliative care consultants, healthcare assistants, social workers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and administrators, who will be running a telephone hotline service.

Working with other healthcare providers across the region, the team will assess whether patients need advice, community support or admittance to one of the three hospices’ Inpatient Units for round-the-clock care. Depending on individual need, the teams will then provide that care either at people’s homes or at the hospices.

HoBS will have around 40 end of life specialists on call for people in the community, as well as additional teams at the hospice Inpatient Units. The service operates seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Rachel O’Connor, Assistant Chief Executive of Birmingham and Solihull Sustainability and Transformation Partnership, said: “Across Birmingham and Solihull we have hundreds of specialist hospice staff who will be on call for people, both day and night.

“Our three adult hospices have seen the current need and acted rapidly to meet that. Working together we can provide the very best of expert care for people at the end of their lives.

“Our aim is to ensure that individuals, their families and professionals receive joined-up and easy to navigate advice, support and access to care from our dedicated and compassionate hospice teams when they need it the most.”

Patients and healthcare professionals can contact HoBS direct on 0121 809 1900.