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New Design Overbed Tables Transform Hospice Meal Times

 

September 7, 2010

Patients at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice are now able to eat and read in much greater comfort, thanks to a donation by a local charitable trust. 

BHSF (Birmingham Hospital Saturday Fund) Medical Charity & Welfare Trust’s £430 cash injection has paid for two simple but neatly-designed overbed tables, which have the advantage of being able to fit over an armchair. 

This means patients can remain seated in a comfortable position, instead of having to sit on the edge of their chair to reach a meal. A slanting function on the tables, supplied by medical equipment company Hill-Rom Ltd, enables users to read more easily. 

Birmingham St Mary’s Ward Sister Kim Tonks (pictured) said the tables were making a huge difference to patients. 

“Due to their design, the old overbed tables were unable to fit over an armchair, so patients had to sit right on the edge of their seat if they wanted to eat a meal. For someone who is frail this can be a real challenge. So we’re really grateful to BHSF for helping us to purchase these much-needed pieces of equipment,” Kim said. 

A spokeswoman for BHSF was delighted the tables were making such a difference at the Hospice. “This is exactly the kind of project we are able to help with and we’re very happy to hear that people with life-limiting illnesses at Birmingham St Mary’s are finding the tables beneficial,” she said. 

Since its launch in 1979, Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice has cared for tens of thousands of people with life-limiting illnesses, such as cancer, motor neurone disease and MS.  

With around 52 percent of the Hospice’s budget reliant on public goodwill, community fundraising is crucial to ensuring its highly specialised services can continue to be offered to the people of Birmingham and Sandwell. 

In addition to a 25-bed Inpatient Unit, Birmingham St Mary’s boasts a 20-place Day Hospice and provides community care to people who wish to stay in their own homes.  

The Hospice also supports relatives with bereavement preparation, physiotherapy tuition and counselling in addition to many other services.  

Annual running costs stand at £6.3 million, with around £1 million being raised in the Hospice’s shops and £2.7 million via fundraising. The remainder comes from the NHS. 

Birmingham St Mary’s nurses, often referred to by patients and relatives as ‘angels’, are renowned for going that extra mile to ensure people with terminal illnesses enjoy the best possible quality of life.