Who are the Community Hospice Team?
The Community Hospice Team provides care, support and advice to patients. The team includes Clinical Nurse Specialists and Nursing Assistants, who are specially trained to support terminally ill people and their families in their own homes or places such as care homes or prisons.
The team also includes access to doctors, family support workers, complementary therapists, chaplaincy services and the rehabilitation team (occupational therapists and physiotherapists). Additionally, trained volunteers are on hand to give companionship and practical support.
Our Clinical Nurse Specialists have extensive training, skills and experience in helping people with cancer and other life-shortening illnesses and are experts in this field. Some other organisations call this role a 'Macmillan Nurse', however our Clinical Nurse Specialists are entirely funded by St Nicholas Hospice Care.
Our Clinical Nurse Specialists work seven days a week between 9 am and 5 pm.
What Can the Clinical Nurse Specialist do?
Your Clinical Nurse Specialist assesses you and your carer's physical, social, spiritual and psychological needs. Their aim is to help you achieve the best quality of life. They work as a team with your GP, District Nurse and others. They can help you by:
- giving advice on the relief of pain and symptoms, in conjunction with your doctor
- offering practical advice and emotional support to you, your family and carers
- liaising with other services which may be able to help with your care
Our team of Nursing Assistants can provide practical hands-on nursing care to patients known to the Hospice who are believed to be at the end of life. This care complements the support that is already provided within the community.
The focus of this care is:
- to enable vulnerable patients to remain at home, hence avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital. The support that they provide will be developed according to patient and carer need
- the bias of care input provided by Community Hospice Team Nursing Assistants will be out of hours. It can range from a short visit once or twice a week, to support over a whole night
- the Community Hospice Team will work in partnership with professional and lay carers to ensure the contribution made by our Nursing Assistants has a positive influence on patient care
Referral to care provided by our Community Hospice Team Nursing Assistants is via Clinical Nurse Specialists or Sylvan Ward staff.
Outpatients
Patients can attend the main Hospice care site for a number of outpatient services. These include
:
- medical clinics
- complementary therapies - offering aromatherapy and reflexology to patients and their relatives (right)
- physiotherapy
- family support and bereavement appointments
- early assessment clinic
