For most people who are seriously ill the place they would be prefer to be is at home in familiar surroundings. We have a team of specialists that visit people in the community, working closely with GPs and District Nurses. These visits can be to a patient's own home, Nursing or Residential Home, Sheltered Housing or Community Hospitals.
Our Clinical Nurse Specialists are employed and paid for by the Hospice, and they are in a position to:
- offer advice on how to manage physical symptoms
- give emotional support
- provide financial advice to patients and families
- liaise with other professionals on a patient's behalf
The Clinical Nurse Specialists work 7 days a week between 9am and 5pm and are completely funded by St Nicholas Hospice Care.
Home visits can be undertaken by our Medical Team, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Complementary Therapist, Chaplain or member of the Family Support Team, dependent upon patient and/or carer need.
Our two Nursing Assistants can provide home care to patients known to St Nicholas Hospice Care who are believed to be in the last few weeks of life.
The focus of this care is:
- to enable vulnerable patients to remain at home, hence avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital
- the bias of care input provided by Community Hospice Team Nursing Assistants will be out of hours.Each care episode can range from 3-9 hours each.There may be scope to provide up to 16 hours of care per day for a maximum of 14 days
- 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
- physiotherapy
- family support and bereavement appointments
