Weekend support for patients at home Support

at weekends is just a phone call away for palliative patients and their carers thanks to our new weekend service.

We know how worrying and isolating it can feel to care for a loved one at home, especially when services typically only run Monday to Friday. To bridge this gap, we have introduced a new weekend palliative care service as part of our overall ‘St Luke’s at Home’ initiative.

Senior Nurse Debbie Collins, who has been running the service since its launch last year, said: “We’ve had some lovely feedback, it really has been a lifeline for patients and their families in the community who can feel very alone at weekends and unsure of where they can access help and support.

“Often they want to discuss symptoms or certain aspects of care that they are struggling with. Their loved one might be in more pain and they need advice and simply can’t wait until Monday. I can’t prescribe medication but I can seek guidance from the Hospice’s on-call medical team, if required, or speak with the GP out-of-hours service on the patient’s behalf.

“I can also go out and see the patient at home to provide extra support to both them and their family, or provide hands on care if that’s needed.

“We’ve also had good feedback from District Nurses who are able to liaise with us and get palliative care advice when they need it.”

The Weekend

Palliative Care Service is available every Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 5pm.

If you would like to make a donation or raise money to support the care we provide, please call 01606 551246 or visit www.slhospice.co.uk/donate