Rainbows helps Leicestershire’s hospitals during coronavirus crisis

Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People is to support Leicestershire’s hospitals during the current coronavirus crisis. 

The Loughborough-based hospice will now be looking after children and young people from Leicester’s Children’s Hospital to help relieve strains on the NHS by freeing up its capacity.

Rainbows’ CEO Dee Sissons said: “In an uncertain time where everyone is pulling together, we at Rainbows are proud to be playing our part in helping an overstretched NHS. Everyone in the NHS is doing the most incredible job and by hospitals utilising our facilities and our incredibly skilled staff, we will hopefully ease a fraction of that burden.

“The hospice will be separated in to two wings, one for our continued end of life and symptom management care and one for hospital patients. There will be no crossover of the two and for the safety or our families and staff, we have introduced one visitor at a time policy for the NHS patients.”

Rainbows will continue with its vital end of life care and its Family Support Team, which provides advice and counselling to hundreds of families in need, including those who are bereaved, will offer virtual, telephone and online services. Last week, it reduced some of its usual services by temporarily stopping respite and day care.

In line with government legislation, and for the safety of the staff, volunteers and customers, the charity has also closed its shops in Loughborough, Blaby, Melton, Market Harborough and Beeston. But people can still pick up bargains at the Rainbows online ebay shop. 

The hospice has also made the difficult decision to postpone its annual Spring Superdraw as ticket sales required face to face contact. But people can still sign up to the Rainbows Lottery online where for £1 a week, they could be in with a chance of winning the weekly jackpot of £1,000.

Dee added: “We consider all of our supporters, whether that be fundraisers or volunteers, to be part of the Rainbows family. We are very lucky to have such a strong support network and we are confident that in these difficult times, people will do all they can to still be there for us. On behalf of all of our children, young people and their families – those whose lives you really do make a difference to, we simply cannot thank you enough.”

For more information on how you can still fundraise for Rainbows and get involved with fun activities at home, visit rainbows.co.uk/fun