Dr Kershaw’s Hospice take their care into the community

A BRAND new ‘Hospice at Home’ Service from Dr Kershaw’s will start serving the community later this year after funding was put into place.

Initially this will take the form of a one-year pilot scheme which will demonstrate the need for such a vital and necessary service to be continued on a permanent basis.

The Service will deliver practical nursing care and give emotional support to patients and their families in their own homes during the final stages of illness.

It will provide individualised support throughout as necessary and an immediate response to any crisis call.

The Hospice will work in collaboration with existing community services to deliver real choices to people about the care they receive and where, helping to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and lengthy stays.

The service will complement existing end of life services and work hand-in-hand with the 24-hour advice line service which the Hospice set up 18 months ago.

The Hospice are grateful to the Stoller Charitable Trust and Oldham’s Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) for agreeing to jointly fund this pilot project.

Dr Matthias Hohmann, Clinical Director for Cancer at NHS Oldham CCG, commented: “We know many patients prefer the surroundings of their own homes in the last weeks and days of their life.

“The ‘Hospice at Home’ project will enable this to happen for more patients, giving them access to the best quality end of life care and providing them with more choice about where this happens.

“NHS Oldham CCG are delighted to have been involved in commissioning this work, which fulfils our ambition to improve end of life care in Oldham, providing patients and their families with a more personalised experience.”

Mr Norman Stoller, Chairman of the Stoller Charitable Trust, is pleased the Trust is able to provide funding to enable a pilot project to take place.

“The Hospice are to be congratulated on developing the pilot scheme and my Trust wishes it every success,” he said.

The Service Co-ordinator/Manager is already in post and currently having discussions with the District Nursing Teams, other local agencies and GPs to ensure a co-ordinated response once the pilot becomes operational.

Further information about the pilot scheme will be issued during Hospice Care Week, which runs from October 5 to 11.