A Tameside charity, which cares for patients with life limiting illnesses, is to receive a donation of ten brand new hospital beds.
Willow Wood Hospice in Ashton has now received the first of the beds, which were previously in the NHS Nightingale North West Hospital, located in the Manchester Central complex.
These beds were stored for several weeks by Tameside Council to give the hospice time to switch each bed without disrupting their patients, where they will be used on an in-patient unit providing specialist palliative and end-of-life care.
Beds from the now-closed Nightingale hospital are being donated to charities across Greater Manchester, including Willow Wood, so local organisations can make the most of this new equipment.
Willow Wood is an adult hospice that provides free of charge specialist palliative care for patients with life-limiting illnesses.
The NHS North West Nightingale Hospital originally opened in April 2020 to deal with potential extra coronavirus patients in the area and closed in March this year, following a drop in cases.
Cllr Oliver Ryan, Tameside Council executive member for Finance and Economic Growth, said: “I’m delighted our estates team could help such a worthwhile cause by facilitating this donation, ensuring those requiring palliative care are cared for using the best possible equipment.
“Willow Wood have performed a vital service to our community for over 20 years and it’s great we can utilise some of the beds from the NHS Nightingale North West Hospital locally.”
Karen Houlston, chief executive of Willow Wood Hospice, said: “The donation of the beds and other clinical equipment has been of real benefit to Willow Wood. Our patients are at the front and centre of everything we do and their comfort and wellbeing is of the utmost importance to us. Obviously, as with all charities, the pandemic has impacted our fundraising enormously and to be able to replace equipment as it reaches the end of its natural lifespan with this donation represents a huge saving for us.
“We also must thank Tameside Council who have loaned us the use of a unit free of charge to store the equipment until we are in a position to bring it onto our 12 bed in-patient unit. This will minimise disruption to our patients who are receiving palliative and end-of-life care and enable us to plan the changeover at the most suitable time. As always, we are proud of and humbled by our community support.”
