All our care is provided free of charge, and is mainly provided in people’s homes – because most people prefer to be at home, with their families and in familiar surroundings.
Many people are well cared for by their local medical and nursing team but some patients and their families or carers with more complex needs can be referred to Dorothy House.
A Dorothy House specialist nurse is often the first point of contact with our hospice services for most patients. The team is made up of 18 trained nurses with expertise in dealing with physical symptoms and offering emotional support and allowing patients and family/carers to talk through their fears and concerns.
The nurses visit patients and their families/carers at home, in community hospitals or in nursing and residential homes. They do not carry out physical care but work closely with family doctors, community nurses and other community services to ensure that the care given is of the highest standard. Each nurse works with a specific GP practice.
Most referrals are made to Dorothy House by the local GP or district nursing service. This is important as it helps the specialist nurses obtain the relevant medical information necessary to do a thorough assessment.
Hospice at Home, as the name suggests, provides nursing care to support patients and their families in their own homes. The service, provided by experienced Dorothy House carers, is used in the later stages of a life-threatening illness.
Hospice at Home may offer a couple of nights respite care to allow the usual carer to get a good night’s sleep, or perhaps an afternoon to allow the usual carer to go out. Block respite of up to a week can be offered in conjunction with established care arrangements as an alternative to the patient being admitted to the In-Patient Unit for respite care. An increased level of care can be offered in the last few days of life to enable the patient to remain at home.
Hospice at Home can be accessed by health care professionals such as District Nurses, GPs and Specialist Nurses. Block respite is accessed via a Dorothy House Professional.
All care offered is in conjunction with other services and is subject to availability of resources.
The bereavement service seeks to:
• offer emotional and psychological support as the bereaved adjust to life without the person who died;
• acknowledge the pain of grief as a natural part of the human experience.
A range of free and confidential services, including one to one support, is available to any bereaved relative or carer of a patient known to Dorothy House.
The bereavement service includes a team of trained and supervised bereavement workers, who can meet bereaved people in their own home or at Dorothy House.