Care Team

To support acutely unwell children during the pandemic, and to relieve the NHS, Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice’s Care Team rapidly expedited the opening of the In-Patient Unit (IPU) at the charity’s new home, The Ark. A team which had previously focused on Hospice-at-Home care quickly pivoted, caring for children at the end of their lives, immediately upon opening. The team also ensured that The Ark was a safe haven for children who were severely immuno-compromised. As nine-year-old Jake put it, “we’d been trapped at home for six months. Going to The Ark felt like I was finally free. It was the best time of my life”. To make this possible, the team quickly forged relationships with key London hospitals, including Great Ormond Street Hospital and The Royal Brompton. The charity’s social workers mobilised to support families who were in immediate social crisis. Noah’s Ark’s Care Team showed incredible courage to take on major challenges, in spite of personal risk, to ensure outstanding care for children and families. As Richard, father of three-year-old Magnus, who has been supported throughout the pandemic put it: “If I had to describe Noah’s Ark in three words, it would be Gold Standard Care”.