Tea sets offering loved ones a drop of comfort

Posted 3rd April 2023

Recently bereaved families or relatives of those at the end of life are being given an extra drop of dignity and comfort at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre with special china tea sets for them to use.

Until now, when someone reaches the end of their life at Clatterbridge, their loved ones have been able to console themselves while having a brew, but only in standard hospital mugs.

But thanks to an initiative from the Trust’s Bright Ideas Scheme, patients’ families can now use one of the special china tea sets reserved for those facing distressing situations.

Six tea sets have been introduced to wards at the centre after Sinead Benson, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Palliative Care at Clatterbridge, put forward the idea to improve the service to loved ones at times of end of life.

Sinead said: “The simple offer of a cup of tea or coffee can help put a family at ease at a distressing time. The relatives of a dying person may not remember your name a few years down the line, but they will certainly remember how they and their loved one were treated. The offering of a hot drink can go a long way in them knowing that they were supported through such a difficult and emotional situation.”

Drew Norwood-Green, the Trust’s Innovation Manager, said: “When Sinead came to us with her Bright Idea, we thought it was a wonderful thought. It is obviously only a very small gesture of comfort during a hugely distressing time, but sometimes that can make all the difference to people and anything we can do to improve the experience of our patients or their loved ones is a top priority for us here at Clatterbridge.

“We are extremely grateful to Sinead for recognising this need and Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, which funds our Bright Ideas Scheme, was only too pleased to pay for these tea sets.”

So far, more than 150 initiatives have been submitted by staff and patients at Clatterbridge through the Bright Ideas scheme since it was launched 18 months ago, with a number of them now introduced to improve the comfort, care and treatment of patients and working conditions of staff.

Sinead Benson is pictured left with Michelle Downer, Acute Care Admin Support and Cancer Support Worker, and one of the tea sets.