THIS Christmas Grove House is making a special appeal and asking the community for a very special present for patients.

A regular donation of just �2 per month could help provide 24-hour care for local terminally-ill patients. Think of it as �24 a year for 24-hour care.

In the words of one local family who used the Hospice at Home service this year: “It made a huge difference to our whole family to have my husband at home during the final days of his illness.

“The children were able to come and say their goodbyes and it gave me confidence to know that I could pick up the phone at any time, even at four in the morning, and a Grove House nurse would be there to help us.

“I urge you to make a regular donation to Grove House so that everyone in this area who needs it can care for a loved one at home.”

Hospice at Home can provide nursing care at home for those with special or complex palliative-care needs who would prefer to be treated at home rather than be uprooted and spend their time in a hospital or a bedded hospice.

Hospice at Home is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week but at present, because of limited resources, it is only available to half the patients in the St Albans and Harpenden area. Access to the the service depends on which GP people are registered with.

Mark Lister, chief executive at Grove House, said: “We are delighted that in the last two years more local patients than ever before have been able to choose to spend their final days at home with the support of our nurses.

“We have been able to make a real difference but for every patient we help there is someone else who could benefit from this service. We urge people to respond to this appeal by signing up to a regular commitment of just �2 every month, that’s just �24 per year to help provide 24-hour care.”

To set up your regular gift contact Jackie at the hospice on 01727 731009 or visit www.grove-house.org.uk