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Services
On diagnosis the Consultant Paediatrician refers the child to the Children’s Community Nursing Team. The family is then contacted and visited by one of the Care at Home Team within 48 hours.
Children's Community Nurses
Our Children's Community Nurses support families from the time a child is diagnosed and throughout their illnesses. They visit the children in their homes where they may give medications, change nasal gastric tubes and dressings, take blood samples etc. so that the child/youngster does not have to go to hospital for these interventions. They also teach and enable parents to have the confidence to care for their child. The nurses also liaise with other professionals involved in the child’s care.
Health Care Assistants
Our Health Care Assistants support families by spending time with the Snowdrop child or their siblings out of the house, or playing with them in their own home. This allows parents some respite, or quality time with another child and the children to enjoy a different environment or experience new creative play.
The Snowdrop Counsellors
Our counsellors offer valuable emotional support. They help by befriending and supporting families throughout their child's illness should it be needed. They also provide bereavement support.
Financial Assistance
The charity helps in any way that can relieve parents of the extra financial problems that occur when a child has a life threatening or terminal illness e.g. household equipment and bills, travelling expenses to hospital and so much more.
Fordwater School Nurse
The charity funds a paediatric nurse to work at Fordwater School in Chichester - a school for children with ‘special needs’ and who have a complex medical diagnosis. There are over one hundred children in attendance and twenty one of them are under the care of Snowdrop, living with a life threatening or limiting illness. With one experienced school nurse already in post, the addition of our Snowdrop nurse is essential to keep up with the ever-increasing workload.
Thoughts from our Snowdrop Families
Since The Snowdrop Trust was founded in 1993, the Trust has supported hundreds of families. Each family's journey is different;
Mike, Snowy’s Dad
“We did our best to keep life as normal as possible but the reality is, with the management of treatment and the continuous checking in and out of hospital, combined with the emotional management of what happened, life does change. The Snowdrop nurses helped to soften this disruption. They became part of our team and immediately formed great relationships with both our girls. They were flexible and understanding, coming into our home, or going into school on the days Snowy was attending. Snowy is now in remission and is well.”
Tracey, a Snowdrop mum
"Snowdrop were there from the start - they are amazing, helping with nurses coming, into the home and offering transport and financial help.
They also provide a counsellor who works with the families and understands what we are going through."
More thoughts from families...
"Snowdrop really helped us to settle back at home with our daughter, setting up her equipment, her physio and the care for her lungs. Even after we didn't need them every day they were always only a 'phone call away."
"The Sussex Snowdrop Trust has made such a difference to my whole family in easing our burden - I really don't know what I would do without them."
"Snowdrop Care was the best thing that could have happened to us."