Petrol supply: Oldham hospice's desperate appeal for fuel

Lead nurse Lindsey Harper says fuel is running "desperately" low in the hospice's vehicles

A hospice has put out an urgent appeal for petrol donations as the fuel crisis has left staff struggling to fill up their vehicles.

Dr Kershaw's Hospice in Royton, Oldham, provides end-of-life care to 11 patients in their homes.

It said five vehicles used by staff for community patients were "desperately" low on fuel as the government drafted in the Army to help with fuel supplies.

Nurse Lindsey Harper said there was "sheer panic" over caring for patients.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said soldiers would be delivering fuel in the next couple of days in a bid to ease petrol supply issues which have seen long queues outside petrol stations and some pumps running dry.

The hospice is appealing to filling stations to give its staff priority access to fuel and asking the public for petrol donations.

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Ms Harper, lead nurse for community service at the hospice, said there was "an element of sheer panic" as vehicles which need constant refills of unleaded petrol to make home visits across the Oldham area were running "desperately" low.

"We need to prioritise those patients; we need to get to those patients as soon as we can," she said.

"We can't be thinking about where we need to stop off for fuel."

The hospice has patients living in their own homes across the Oldham area

Ms Harper, 46, said staff had been trying to source fuel in their own time after the end of their shifts.

Fuel supplies are plentiful at refineries but a shortage of tanker drivers caused problems with deliveries to a small number of filling stations last week.

Reports of pumps running dry at some garages then subsequently led to a surge in demand.

The Petrol Retailers Association said there were "early signs" the pressure was starting to ease at the pumps.

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