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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.
 

 

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

 

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.

 

 

 

The Education Department ran more than 100 teaching sessions for over 1,500 participants