Enterprise have made a special arrangement with the Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Partnership NHS Trust to supply 4×4 vehicles when snow or heavy rain hits to make sure district nurses, community matrons and other health and social care staff can still get through to patients.

‘Severe weather can make it a real challenge to get our staff to patients in need of care at home and having these vehicles available from Enterprise when we need them will be a huge asset,’ said partnership trust director of operations Tina Cookson.

‘The people we care for can have even greater confidence that, whatever the weather, our staff will be doing their utmost to reach them and provide the treatment they need.’

She added: ‘The support also provided by our Volunteer 4×4 colleagues is invaluable, and after working closely with them last year, we have good plans in place ahead of this winter.’

To help Partnership staff get to grips with vehicles, members of Network Staffordshire for Volunteers 4×4 laid on a special all terrain experience day with challenges including deep mud and hazardous climbs.

‘The training drive was a fantastic experience,’ said Tracy White, district nursing sister from Yoxall: ‘We often have to go out to remote areas in the dark when conditions can be quite severe, so to be in vehicle you know can get you there and having been trained to tackle the conditions, gives me lots of confidence. We just want to be able to get to our patients and care for them and now we’ve got the best help to do that.’