A year on from Keech Hospice Care’s merger with Bedford Daycare Hospice, the specialist care charity is now supporting many more local patients through its recently refurbished Living Well Centre.
The Centre, located at Gladys Hibbert House on Linden Road, Bedford, provides free personalised care and support for adults with life-limiting conditions living in Bedford.
New services
Prior to the merger, Bedford-based patients were limited to the range of services they could access without travelling outside of the area. The launch of the Living Well Centre allows patients access to a much wider range of services including:
Prior to the merger, Bedford-based patients were limited to the range of services they could access without travelling outside of the area. The launch of the Living Well Centre allows patients access to a much wider range of services including:
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Face-to-face nursing and medical assessments
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Symptom control programmes
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Future planning support
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Complementary therapies, wellbeing sessions and cancer support groups
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Memory-making and life story activities
Improvements have also been made to the layout of the building to allow for better patient access, and to create an interior more conducive to delivering the range and types of services on offer.
More patients benefiting
In its first three months of operating, the Living Well Centre received the same number of referrals as the former provision had over the entire previous year. Prior to the merger, the Bedford provision was only able to offer nursing support; now medical, emotional, spiritual and social support are also available.
In its first three months of operating, the Living Well Centre received the same number of referrals as the former provision had over the entire previous year. Prior to the merger, the Bedford provision was only able to offer nursing support; now medical, emotional, spiritual and social support are also available.
The Centre now supports around 70 patients every week, who attend to access a range of treatments from nursing and medical services to counselling and complementary therapies.
Clinical Director of Keech Hospice Care, Elaine Tolliday, said:
“The vastly expanded range of services offered in our new Living Well Centre enables us to help so many more patients and their families to enhance the quality of their lives. The Living Well Centre takes an entirely patient-focused approach, supporting the needs of the whole person.”
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Keech Hospice Care provides free, specialist care and support for adults in Luton and Bedfordshire, and for children in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes who are living with life-limiting conditions. Care is provided from the hospice sites in Luton and Bedford and also in patients’ own homes, hospitals, schools and wherever support is needed the most.
Keech Hospice Care has a retail portfolio that includes 38 shops across the region and over 1500 volunteers and 260 + staff. Keech Hospice Care is in the Best Companies Top 100 UK list, rated outstanding to work for, and is also rated Outstanding for caring with CQC. Last year Keech Hospice Care supported over 2,500 adults, children and their families.
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