Springhill Hospice’s Nursing Staff to trek through Vietnam to support patient care

Nikita Birchall and Paula McNally in front of Springhill Hospice

Springhill Hospice’s Nursing Associate, Nikita Birchall, and Nursing Assistant, Paula McNally, will be taking on an extraordinary trek through Vietnam in November 2022 to raise vital funds to for Springhill Hospice.

The Vietnam Hill Tribe Trek & Palliative Care Project is a five-day trek that will take Nikita and Paula into the remote and beautiful hills of Northern Vietnam in the Pù Luông Nature Reserve area.

Passing through remote villages and staying at different local stilt house accommodations each night will give them an authentic insight into the lifestyle of the people who live in the area.

They will also spend time in the Mai Chau region working at a palliative care project in the local community hospital. Their specific tasks will be determined closer to the time of departure, depending on the most urgent needs in the local area at the time.

Nikita and Paula work alongside the dedicated nursing team at Springhill Hospice and have provided specialist care to many patients living with life-limiting illnesses for a number of years.

Nikita said: “This trek is going to be so rewarding as we will be taking part in a palliative program in the locals hospitals in Vietnam, which is what we do day to day in our job roles.

“It will be interesting to see how palliative care differs in such a different environment. Not only will Paula and I be able to bring skills to the local hospitals but we can also learn how different cultures operate and hopefully bring some of these learnings back with us.

“Our fundraising target is £10,000 and the majority of this would go towards providing palliative care to the communities we serve at Springhill Hospice. We are well on our way to achieving our target but we need the support of people in the community to help us achieve our goals.”

Leighann Hill, Ward Sister at Springhill Hospice, said, “The trek to Vietnam is a huge challenge; we are super proud of the dedication of Paula and Nikita and their determination to raise awareness of Springhill Hospice as well as raising vital funds. They are both such wonderful individuals who continue to give their time and effort to support the hospice.”

To support Nikita and Paula on their Trek to Vietnam, a donation can be made to their JustGiving page.