Charity starts companion service at hospital

A charity has launched a companionship service to support end-of-life and palliative care hospital patients.

Marie Curie's volunteers will work at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth (QE) Hospital until April 2027, funded by the charity, NHS trust and city council.

Marie Curie Companions "are there to hold a hand and to listen and talk to patients about whatever is on their mind" and support people close to them, the charity said.

Rebecca Eccles, an existing volunteer in Warwickshire, said: "I meet a wide range of people and it's really rewarding to feel that I have made a difference, however small, in the last days and months of someone's life."

Ms Eccles, who supports people at Warwick Hospital and in their homes, added: "It is really humbling to meet people and their families."

She begun volunteering with Marie Curie 15 months ago after working as a senior manager in the corporate sector.

Ms Eccles, 59, said many worried about who would look after loved ones and pets after their death and the companion can be a "sounding board" as well as pointing them towards further support, such as Marie Curie's helpline.

They also can give respite to family members visiting in hospital and are company for people alone.

"So many people at the end of life are without close family members," Ms Eccles said, adding they could be alone because relatives were abroad or they were the last one left from a circle of friends.

"As a companion volunteer we aim to provide comfort to people, listening to their stories or simply sitting with them and letting them know that they are not alone," said Ms Eccles.

Marie Curie said the service which has begun at the QE will support people across five wards.

It will also offer bereavement support and signposting to other services within the hospital or run by Marie Currie.

"When someone is nearing the end of life, the presence of a kind and attentive companion can make all the difference," said Margaret Garbett, chief nurse at University Hospitals Birmingham, the trust which runs the QE.

"The Marie Curie Companions service brings warmth, dignity, and human connection to patients and families facing end-of-life care."

There are plans to extend the service to other hospitals in the area before April 2027.

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