Marie Curie launches hospital Companions service in the Midlands

The service will see a dedicated team of volunteers (Marie Curie Companions) provide emotional support and companionship to end-of-life and palliative care patients at Queen Elizabeth (QE) Hospital in Birmingham. 

Marie Curie Companion volunteers focus on the individual needs of end-of-life and palliative care patients and those close to them - whether that be helping people to feel less lonely and isolated or providing brief respite for loved ones. Companions are there to hold a hand and to listen and talk to patients about whatever is on their mind. 

Bereavement support, reassurance and signposting to other support available either within the hospital or through Marie Curie will also be offered to patient’s families and those close to them. 

Sue Morgan, Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships & Services said: “We are very excited to be launching our Companions service at the QE to enhance and improve the experience for end of life patients and their families, within a hospital setting. It’s a unique, meaningful service that will make a real difference to the lives of patients at QE Hospital living with any illness they are likely to die from. 

“Establishing the partnership between Marie Cuire, Birmingham City Council Public Health and University Hospitals Birmingham enabled us to come together as three organisations to strengthen the support we can offer through our specially trained volunteers for patients, families and the clinical staff working on the wards.” 

Councillor Mariam Khan, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care at Birmingham City Council, said: “Being able to offer meaningful, personalised support to end-of-life patients and their families at what will understandably be a difficult time is incredibly important, and I am pleased that Birmingham City Council has been able to work in partnership with Marie Curie and University Hospitals Birmingham to fund this vital service and make it a reality. 

“I know that the fantastic volunteers recruited to offer companionship and support through this service will make a genuine difference to so many people.” 

Margaret Garbett, Chief Nurse, University Hospitals Birmingham, said: "When someone is nearing the end of life, the presence of a kind and attentive companion can make all the difference. The Marie Curie Companions service brings warmth, dignity, and human connection to patients and families facing end-of-life care. We are proud to support this partnership, which places empathy at the heart of clinical care at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham." 

Marie Curie Companion volunteers will be supporting people across five wards at QE Hospital. The service, funded by Marie Curie, Birmingham City Council and University Hospitals Birmingham, will run until April 2027, with plans in place to expand to additional hospitals in the area during this time. 

Rebecca Eccles, a Marie Curie Companion volunteer supporting people across Warwickshire in their own homes and at Warwick Hospital, said: “I’ve always felt that the final stages of someone’s life are the last opportunity to help them, treating them as individuals and reminding them that they are special.  

As a Companion volunteer we aim to provide comfort to people, listening to their stories or simply sitting with them and letting them know that they are not alone. I meet a wide range of people and it’s really rewarding to feel that I have made a difference, however small, in the last days and months of someone’s life. We can’t fix someone’s health problems, but we can spend time with them and let them know that we care. That is a privilege”. 

Comprehensive training and ongoing support are provided to every Marie Curie Companion. For more information about Marie Curie Companions, visit mariecurie.org.uk/companions