We’ve been known to carry equipment down a farm track with the snow up to our knees
Emergency callouts at Christmas, trudging with medical equipment through the snow and travelling long distances, CHAS at Home nurse Sue Stanworth does everything in her power to help families who need her.
Sue and her team care for children and young people in their own homes between hospice visits or when they are too ill to travel.
For families who live in isolated areas, this service can be a lifeline.
Sue said: “The CHAS at Home service is important to a lot of families. It gives parents muchneeded respite.
“Sometimes we’re just at home playing with the children, so that mum and dad can go out or focus on one of the other siblings.
“Even housework or going to the dentist can be difficult with an ill child.
“We cover a big area so we might be travelling to Fort William or Orkney.
“Not all of our children live on main roads so we have been seen to carry equipment down farm tracks with snow up to our knees.”
One person who has found the CHAS at Home service invaluable is Natasha Wilson.
Her six-year-old boy Sonny has a rare and complex congenital heart and lung disease.
Natasha said: “We’d be lost without Sue and the team at CHAS and Sonny would really miss them.”
Sonny lives in Elgin with Natasha and dad John, who works offshore.
Natasha said: “Sonny has a complex illness and some people don’t realise just how ill he is because he doesn’t look unwell.
“He needs medication up to midnight and from 6am so I could never ask family to look after him. It would be too much.
“Using the CHAS at Home service means that I can get things done and I know that Sonny is being well looked after.
“Sue has been in his life for around two years now and he really looks forward to her visits.”
Although most of Sue’s visits are with families she knows, there are emergencies too.
Sue said: “On Christmas Day we received a call from a family whose child had died.
“We were asked to provide a cooling blanket which allows the child to stay at home for a week before the funeral.
“We visited to make sure they had what they needed and that the family were OK. It made a huge difference to them and for their grieving process.”
The service provided by Sue and the CHAS at Home nurses is invaluable to families across Scotland.
As well as helping them cope, it’s about bringing fun to the lives of children and families.
She said: “Our hospices and services are a lot more than that. Sometimes it’s just about allowing these young people to access the ordinary.”
Ultimately, the at home service need more staff and Sue is urging the people of Scotland to donate.
She said: “CHAS are keeping the joy alive across the whole of Scotland. My colleagues are determined to help families in any way they can. We just wish there were more of us, so we could be there for every family who need us.”