Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

We are aiming to keep the hospices open and do to so, we've taken the following measures:

We will not admit a child with a suspected case but we will now be contacting all families on the day of their admission to check that nobody in their family has symptoms of COVID-19;
If a child develops symptoms within Rachel or Robin House they will be cared for using appropriate PPE and supported to go home if and when they can. We do this in conjunction with advice from Public Health Scotland;
For our CHAS at Home service, we will not offer any visits where a child or member of the family has symptoms, and we will contact families on the day of the visit to ensure no one in the family has symptoms of COVID-19;
Only parent/carers and brothers and sisters will accompany children for visits to hospices;
We've reduced footfall in the hospices by asking staff who can to work from home or a non-hospice CHAS site;
We are changing arrangements for deliveries and maintenance to reduce visitors coming beyond the doors of Rachel House and Robin House.

We are continuing to follow all guidance from Health Protection Scotland and have a dedicated preparation and response team overseeing all preparations.

Here are a few of the questions we would like to give you further information about:

I have a visit coming up at the hospice or a visit from CHAS at Home due - will this still go ahead?

We are remaining highly alert as the situation and government guidance evolves, day by day. Wherever possible, we are continuing to run our CHAS at Home and hospice services, however additional measures to safeguard families, staff and volunteers must be taken.

In some instances, therefore, our respite and emergency care services may differ to what you are used to. Please contact your child's key worker with any queries you may have in this regard. Before any visit, we will be phoning you direct and asking a few questions to clarify if you, or anyone in your family, is developing symptoms. You can also expect a phone call on the day of your visit.

Will there be children with Coronavirus admitted to the hospice?

We will not admit anyone with suspected or confirmed Coronavirus. This is why you'll get a pre-visit phone call and another call on the day of the visit. However, we are working to equip ourselves with the resources and procedures to ensure we can deliver care in an emergency or an unplanned situation should that arise, in line with NHS guidelines.

If a child develops symptoms within Rachel or Robin House they will be cared for using appropriate PPE and supported to go home if and when they can. We do this in conjunction with advice from Public Health Scotland.

What if I or a member of my family have symptoms and we are due to visit or have CHAS at Home?

We will be contacting you before any planned visits and if you or anyone in your family have any symptoms, we will look at alternative ways of delivering your care. We also phone on the day to check in.

What if the pandemic gets worse? Will the hospices be able to run?

We are remaining extremely vigilant and the situation remains unpredictable but we continue to run the service as normal. Currently, we've updated staff working arrangements and minimising footfall in the hospices as well as limiting deliveries to keep the families, staff and volunteers safe. Should the virus continue to spread, we are focusing on contingency plans for responding to a range of potential scenarios and will update you regularly.

Who can I contact if I am worried about this?

We want to support you through this and if you have any questions about your support from CHAS, please contact Rachel House on 01577 865777 or Robin House on 01389 722055 and ask to speak to a Charge Nurse or Nurse Manager. For any questions about symptoms please contact NHS24 on 111.