Providing care closer to home
PEOPLE in Wirral now have more choice about how they receive care.
Hospice at Home is a 12-month pilot scheme provided by Wirral Hospice St John’s on behalf of Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group (WCCG).
It involves registered nurses and healthcare assistants working alongside GPs, community nurses and community services to enable patients who receive end of life care to be cared for at home if they wish.
The service is available to anyone with palliative care needs who:
- may need support on discharge from hospital or hospice to home
- needs extra care in addition to the visits provided by the community nursing team
- may be in the final weeks of life and prefer to remain at home or in a residential care home
- may need help during a crisis period to prevent admission to hospital
Patients are referred to the service by a health professional, such as a member of a Wirral community nursing team, a GP or through the Community and Discharge Liaison Team at Wirral University Teaching Hospital.
The Hospice at Home service runs seven days a week, from 8am until 8pm, including bank holidays. From August, there will also be a Hospice at Night service, between 8pm and 8am, to support patients and their families and carers at night so they can remain in their home and die at home if that is their preference.
Doctor Murray Freeman, Chair of Wirral’s End of Life Steering Group, said: “This scheme aims to prevent admission to hospital and provide a coordinated discharge from hospital.
“It focuses on patient preference and providing the highest possible standard of care to enhance the quality of life for patients, while supporting carers and families.”
For more information, a Hospice at Home leaflet is available to download from www.wirralhospice.org. Alternatively, contact Pamela Lamb or Sinead Donnelly on 0151 482 8984, or email pamelal@wirralhospice.org or sineadd@wirralhospice.org.