Here’s how a nurse is using crochet to comfort patients and families at a major Leeds hospital
Over 1,500 hearts have been crocheted so far
A Leeds nurse has taught herself how to crochet to create crafts to support her patients receiving end-of-life care.
Lucy Carter, an acute admission nurse at St James’s University Hospital, has been crocheting small hearts since January to bring comfort to patients and act as a keepsake for their families.
After reaching out to crochet groups on social media, the care heart project has rapidly grown, and now over 1,500 hearts have been created for eight wards at the Harehills hospital.
For Middlesbrough-born Lucy, the colourful crafts are a way to show support beyond medical care.
“It's a very difficult time for them and I think it is amazing to give them something that provides even just a small amount of comfort,” Lucy told the Yorkshire Evening Post.
”To be able to give families something to hold and remember their loved one by means the world.”
The crochet hearts are given to patients who tend to hold them in their hands, place them by their bedside, or keep them under their pillow.
When they finish their end-of-life journey, the hearts may be taken to the mortuary with them or passed on to relatives as a keepsake.
Lucy said: “Quite commonly we have relatives who can’t be there to see our patients or they have children or grandchildren, and the project’s worked really well to help them feel involved when they can’t be at their bedside.”
Families have said the hearts are “special”, “thoughtful”, and a way to feel close to their loved ones.
“We have been married for 58 years and have rarely ever spent a night away from each other,” one relative said.
“It makes me feel connected to him even though I can’t be here with him and that means so much to me.”
Another relative said: “I gave a heart to each of our children. They found it really comforting to have something that had been close to their dad.
“It made a really difficult time for us a little bit easier to get through.”
Staff have also said that the hearts are a gentle way of opening up conversations about end of life care and praised Lucy’s idea.
One staff member said: I feel the initiative has had a wider impact on the culture of care. It encourages staff to think about the emotional and human needs of patients and families, not just their clinical needs.
“The fact that Lucy has successfully rolled this out across the whole [Clinical Service Unit] demonstrates how a small idea, driven by compassion and initiative, can have a significant and lasting impact.
“Sometimes the smallest gestures can mean the most to patients and their families.”
23-year-old Lucy first qualified as a nurse 18 months ago and has been proudly working in oncology at St James’s University Hospital ever since.
Lucy said: “I love nursing. For me it feels like it’s what I was meant to do.
“The patients are just amazing and I feel incredibly privileged to work in this area and in this profession.”
The idea has grown beyond Lucy’s expectations as friends, colleagues, and even strangers have united to keep the Care Heart Project going.
She feels particularly “grateful” to her high school friends, Charlotte, Emily, and Tiffany, who ran the Middlesbrough 10k in August to raise funds to fund the future of the initiative.
The ultimate aim is to reach as many patients and their families as possible.
Lucy said: “From the minute that we introduced it, it was very apparent how much of a difference it made to patients and relatives.
“To have so many people come together and contribute to this means so much to me.”