Following launch in January last year, the team made over 1,600 visits to patients with life-limiting illnesses. Crucially, the hospice believes that unnecessary hospital admissions have been avoided approximately 75% of the time.
The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A night service was introduced last December, initially providing overnight support during winter months, and this has continued.
Demand is projected to rise in the coming months and years, and the hospice hopes to more than double the number of patients who are able to benefit from the service.
“The vision has always been to enable people to remain at home, if they wish,” said Tanya Curry, St Clare’s chief executive.
“Working together with the commissioners and our healthcare partners, we are delighted to be moving a step closer towards our goal of providing high quality specialist palliative care at the right time, in the right place, for every family who needs it.”
The chief officer at West Essex Clinical Commissioning Group, Clare Morris, also praised the work that the St Clare hospice at home team was doing.
“When people are reaching the end of their life, hands-on, personal care is even more important,” she said.
“That is why we are working closely with St Clare Hospice to ensure that we support the needs of people and their families during a sensitive and emotional time. By extending the hospice at home service, we’re ensuring that people can die with dignity in their place of choice.”
More information about the service can be found on the St Clare website.
Leave a Reply