Support
for the whole family
IN 2003 the Family Support Team was set up, bringing together
four departments: Adult Social Work, Children and Young People's
Social Work, Chaplaincy and the Bereavement Service.
The formation of this new team emphasises the importance Dorothy
House places on offering high quality psychosocial
and spiritual care to patients and their families, before and
after death.
Some
of the team's achievements over the past year include:
-
Backchat
- Jenny van Dyk, Children and Young People's Social Worker
has, in partnership with Bath Cruse - Bereavement Care, introduced
a group work initiative, known as Backchat, for bereaved adolescents.
One of the principal goals of the regular courses is to help
bereaved teenagers feel less isolated in their grief.
-
More volunteers - The team is committed to increasing the
range of services it can offer and has been selecting and
training volunteers for a variety of roles to complement the
work of paid staff. Eleven bereavement workers have completed
75 hours of induction training and are now visiting bereaved
clients. A new Family Support Team administrative volunteer
has been recruited to work alongside the administrative co-ordinators,
and plans are well advanced for welcoming a new volunteer
to work on the Unit alongside the Adult Social Worker.
-
Refurbished
Family Room - The family room on the Unit has recently been
redecorated and resourced - an invaluable
part of the support we can offer families.
As
its name suggests, the Family Support Team has a particular interest
and expertise in working with families, and during the last 12
months more than 50 families have used the service.
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Pictured,
from top: the Family Support Team is running the Backchat initiative
for bereaved teenagers; the family room provides a peaceful and
welcoming space for patients' friends and families; the Education
Department has hosted several successful courses and conferences
in the past year
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Sharing
knowledge is crucial
DOROTHY House has an important educational role, both 'in house',
hosting courses and conferences in the Bloomfield Suite, and outside
the hospice.
Highlights of the past year include the development of a joint post
between Dorothy House and the University of the West of England
(UWE). This is a full-time lecturing post, based for two days a
week at UWE in Bristol and three at Winsley, and will enable joint
working between the two establishments.
The South West Regional Audit Conference was organised and held
at Dorothy House in June 2003, with more than 100 delegates
attending. The aim of the conference was to share good practice
through oral and poster presentations. Eleven audits were presented
to the delegates, ranging from complementary therapies to care pathways.
A course on Care of the Dying Person and their Family ran from September
to December, attended by ten nurses from a variety of
clinical backgrounds and settings, including nursing homes, community
staff, and staff from both acute and community hospitals. The course
was very well evaluated by the students.
Two open afternoons were held for student nurses. This is a new
initiative, aimed at second year student nurses on clinical placement
in the community. Each session attracted 18-20 students from various
universities, including UWE, the University of Bournemouth and Oxford
Brookes University. Presentations from members of the multi- professional
team gave an insight into the work of Dorothy House, particularly
the work within the community.
The increased range of education programmes, workshops and study
days on offer is highlighted in the new brochure published by the
education department.
The refurbished facilities in the Bloomfield Suite were publicised
with a new brochure and an open afternoon. This has resulted in
increased usage, generating £20,000 in hire charges and £8,000
in catering. The Bloomfield Suite now has new state-of-the-art equipment
that can be used by people hiring the facilities, as well as by
the Dorothy House
education department.
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