A HOSPICE has added eight extra bedrooms by coverting its day rooms to ease the pressure on the local NHS during the coronavirus crisis.

This means it has increased it number of inpatient beds from 10 to 18.

The change at Pendleside Hospice on Colne Road in Burnley has been paid for by the East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group

The new bedrooms will reduce the need for palliative care patients to remain in hospital at a time when beds there are at a premium.

The first of the eight new patients to move in was scheduled to arrive today.

The hospice’s maintenance team is converted the day service area into the eight extra bedrooms as it had been closed because of the government’s social distancing instructions.

All the extra rooms will be single with wash basins and specialist nursing beds. There will be access to bathroom and toilet facilities.

Former staff including some that have retired have volunteered to return to nursing duties to help with the extra patients while existing staff have offered to work overtime.

Also two advanced nurse practitioners who lecture at UCLan ¬¬- and who have worked previously as clinical nurses specialists – have also come forward to offer their services to support the medical team as has a local GP Dr Faheen Umar, who undertook some of her GP training at the hospice.

Helen McVey, chief executive at Pendleside Hospice, said: “There was a need for hospices, like Pendleside, to align themselves into the bigger picture of what is happening at the moment and the increase in demand for health care services during the crisis.

“We already have a good working relationship with the NHS but this further enhances that relationship.

“What we are doing is what we are experts at, and that is, offering palliative care and care for patients at the end of their life.

“At the same time it eases the pressure on hospital beds which are ever increasing due to the Covid-19 outbreak.”

Alex Walker, East Lancashire CCG’s performance and director, said: “We are immensely grateful for the amazing support the NHS has had from our close partners, such as Pendleside, people being willing to return to the front line to support patient care, the wider community and generous benefactors such as Daisy Communications.

“The pace at which Pendleside has mobilised this service to support the broader system has been astonishing and underlines their tremendous commitment to support our local population.”

Ms McVey added: “Despite all of this activity and commitment from the government to support Hospices Pendleside is still going to show a huge deficit in its fundraising over the coming months. So I appeal to people to join our Keep Your Hospice Open campaign and making a donation.

“What is happening now at Pendleside during the Covid-19 crisis shows what a valuable resource hospices are and the need for funding during these times are as critical as ever.”