Care homes threatened by the Corona virus have been offered a lifeline by Windsor's Thames Hospice chief executive Debbie Raven.

Amid growing reports of a crisis in the care home sector caused by the virus, Mrs Raven has written to homes in the Windsor Slough area offering access to the hospice's community services.

The hospice in Hatch Lane has already started taking in people from the wider community suffering from the virus.

Ms Raven said that the hospice had already expanded its service in the past to care for people in their own homes as well as on its Hatch Lane premises. It was now felt that it would be right to expand this to include fellow health care partners such as care homes.

Local care homes will be able to call the hospice’s telephone advice line on 01753 848925 for support and advice if they are concerned about a resident’s health and wellbeing. The advice line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is managed by a team of clinical nurse specialists.

If required, the hospice can also arrange for its clinical team to visit a care home resident and provide medical support, as well as admission to the Inpatient Unit for symptom management or end-of-life care.

Ms Raven added: “One of the most humbling aspects of the coronavirus so far is the willingness of so many people who work in health and social care to risk their own health and wellbeing to give the care, support and treatment urgently needed by so many people across the UK. Together, we can—and we will—beat this.”