A LETTER from a consultant at Barnsley Hospice has been added to a book of letters about people's experience with coronavirus.
Dr Becky Hirst, who is a consultant in palliative medicine at the hospice, has focused her contribution to the book from the perspective of a key worker and the difficulties of the past year.
She was inspired to send in a submission after hearing about the initiative on the radio. Now her letter will be featured alongside others from across the country.
She said: “I listened to other peoples’ Covid Chronicles on Radio 4 on the way home from work, and felt I had an important message to get across about end of life care and the role of hospices.
“I wanted to add my voice to the national conversation because I strongly believe in the importance of palliative care. Many don’t realise how important it is until they need it for themselves or a loved one. Hospices currently rely on voluntary sector funding, but I hope the fact that so many people have been touched by bereavement over the last year may help crystalise policy makers' thinking on how to fund our sector better.
“I also wanted to celebrate the nursing members of our senior team at Barnsley Hospice who donned uniforms and hit the floor when they were needed during the crisis.”
The stories within the book range from birth to death and touch on how loneliness has affected people during the lockdowns.
The book, Letters from Lockdown, is available now.
