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We’re offering a little extra support to bereaved families

Phil Wright with a dignity bag

Pictured is our Lead Chaplain Philip Wright with one of the bags

The death of a loved one is difficult for everyone, so we have introduced a small measure to help our staff identify people who may need a little extra support.

Families of someone who has died at Queen’s or King George hospitals will be given a dignity bag. These are material bags with a flower logo.

They give relatives something to take their loved one’s belongings home in, and most importantly, are a subtle sign to our staff that the family may need some extra support or sympathy.

A trial has been funded by the King George and Queen’s Hospital Charity, and it has proved such as success that we now plan to make it permanent as part of our End of Life Care strategy.

Bags have been distributed to all wards across both our hospitals.

The dignity flower logo is already used to identity terminally ill patients on wards at the hospital which families have already praised, noting how priceless a cup of tea and some compassion can be when visiting a dying relative in hospital

Claire Bates, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, said: “It is a small thing, but it can make a big difference to relatives who are very recently bereaved.

“The bags are much nicer than the usual patient property bags and also serve as a subtle sign to our staff that the person carrying the bag may need some extra support.”

Pictured is our Lead Chaplain Philip Wright with one of the bags

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