Hospice at Home

Hospice at Home is a small team committed to providing a high standard of palliative care in the community for patients with cancer or other life threatening illness.

We are a specialist resource and work in support of and complementary to the Primary Health Care Team and Marie Curie Cancer Care. Our aim is for palliative care patients to have the resources that will enable them to be cared for and die in the place of their choice and offer support to those who care for and matter to them.

The Hospice at Home Service is a natural extension of the Hospice's existing patient-centred services. It provides a high standard of palliative care in the community, supporting and complementing the Primary Health Care Teams.

The Hospice at Home Team, led by Anna Conlan, consists of Denise Chambers, Pamela Mann, Anne Elley, Sue Hughes and Paula Hall who are qualified nurses or nursing auxiliaries with palliative care experience. They are supplemented by a small team of bank nurses.

The Hospice at Home Team will offer:

• Holistic nursing care and support for patient, family/carers.
• End of Life care. Personal care (short-term only) in addition to community services.
  
• Support to the Primary Health Care Team to avoid a crisis admission to hospice or hospital.
• Early discharge for patients who wish to be cared for at home.
  
• Respite for carers for short periods, when required.
  
• Care will be offered for a specified period of one to four weeks, and 7 day care maintained with the possibility of some night cover. The on-going support will be reviewed as necessary to ascertain the needs of patients and/or relatives or carers.
  

Question: How old are the people who use this Service?
Answer: We welcome adult patients over 18.

Question: Is there a charge for the Hospice at Home Service?
Answer: St. John's is a registered charity, largely supported by voluntary funding and all our services are provided free of charge.

Question: How does the Hospice at Home Team work with my existing health care provision?
Answer: We are a complement to all other services. Your District Nurse and General Practitioner still have over all responsibility for your nursing and medical care and we‘ll work alongside them to provide additional support.

Question: How can I access this Hospice at Home Service?
Answer: You can discuss your needs the Hospice doctor, Social Worker or Clinical Nurse Specialist. If you are being cared for at home you may discuss possible referral with G.P. or District Nurse.

Question: What can I expect from the Service?
Answer: Whoever refers you to the Service should have discussed this with you. Once the referral is made a member of the Hospice at Home Team will visit you and make a mutually agreeable plan of care. No plan of care will be made without your consent.