Paul Sartori Hospice at Home has recently received a donation from The Grace Trust, enabling the charity to improve oral health support for end-of-life patients across Pembrokeshire.

The grant has funded the purchase of 400 oral heath care packs, each containing specialised items designed to support good oral hygiene, as well as training for the charity’s clinical team who deliver care to patients in their own homes.

The project was supported through in-kind training from the Hywel Dda Health Board, with the local Senior Oral Health Promotion Officer and Dental Service Managers, delivering specialised training to the Paul Sartori Community Clinical Team. The training helps ensure that nurses are equipped with the knowledge and skills to support good oral hygiene for patients receiving end-of-life care.

Paul Sartori Clinical Coordinator, Sarah Hunter, coordinated the training session for the team enabling nurses to enhance their skills and confidently use the oral health packs to make a meaningful difference to patient’s comfort and wellbeing.

Sarah said: “I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Oral Health Promotion Officers for their invaluable expertise in developing the oral care packs and giving their time to provide training for the Paul Sartori clinical team.

“The tailored oral care packs and specialised training mean we can continue to provide effective and dignified oral care, improving patient comfort at the end of life.

Chris Birch, Trust Liaison Manager for The Grace Trust, said: “At The Grace Trust, we are committed to supporting initiatives that bring dignity, comfort and compassion to those at the end of life.

“This project is a wonderful example of how practical support, combined with specialist training, can make a real difference to patients and their families during such a sensitive time. We are very pleased to support Paul Sartori Hospice at Home in this important work.”

Judith Williams, Grant Development Officer at Paul Sartori Hospice at Home, said: “We are hugely grateful to The Grace Trust for their generous support of this project. Funding such as this allows us to enhance the care we provide and helps ensure that patients across Pembrokeshire receive compassionate support at home during one of the most difficult times for them and their families.”

The Grace Trust support hundreds of charities throughout the UK and was founded in 1967 by John Dallow, a member of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church. The Trust now serves as one of the principal ways in which members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church support charities and charitable activity in the UK.

Funded by donations from the Church community, the Trust provides grants to initiatives that benefit society and reflect the community’s Christian principles of care and compassion.

Pictured (left to right) are: Beverley Careless, Oral Health Promotion Officer; Harriet Lumsden, Community RN; Sandra Morgan, Community SNA; Jo Lewis-Dunn, Community RN; Sarah Hunter, Clinical Educator; Ffion Williams, Senior Oral Health Promotion Officer & Dental Services Manager and Susie Clayton, Community SNA