Give the gift of care this Christmas

With Christmas almost upon us, I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of all the staff and volunteers at Dorothy House Hospice Care, to wish you all a very merry Christmas. I would also like to thank you for your kind support for Dorothy House.

It is thanks to our generous supporters that we are able to support local people affected by life-threatening illness, helping them to get the best possible quality of life. Providing this care and support for people suffering with illness must continue round-the-clock, throughout the year, but is perhaps never as vital as at Christmas.

As the decorations go up and you start to receive your first festive cards, no doubt you will be thinking about spending this special time of year with your loved ones. This time of year is especially important for our patients and their families who could be facing what may be their last Christmas together.

At Dorothy House Hospice Care we ensure Christmas can remain a special time for our patients by working with them to plan their Christmas at home, offering reassurance that our care is there over the festive period so they can enjoy the celebrations without anxiety and make the most of the quality time with their families.

Spending Christmas at home may seem like a simple request, but for many of our patients this can put extra strain on their families. That is why the work we do in the run up to Christmas is so important – helping patients plan a stress free Christmas at home with their loved ones.

We work with the district nurse, the GP, social worker, occupational therapist and other relevant care providers to arrange medication, extra care and any special equipment needed at home. We also provide extra support to families who are doing all they can to make Christmas special for their loved one who is ill. We can also arrange for a Hospice at Home carer to visit for a few extra hours so the family can do the Christmas shopping or put up the decorations.

Come Christmas Day this support does not stop and our patients have access to our advice and support 24 hours a day so they can keep making the best of their day.

Please help our patients have a special day by giving them the gift of care and support. Your kind donation will make the difference to our patients and their families, at the most testing and difficult time of their lives.

This Christmas my colleagues and I at Dorothy House will be doing everything we can to make this time special for our patients but we need your help. Pledge the gift of care this Christmas and help make it special for local people with life-threatening illness.

Wendy Pepper Deputy Ward Sister




What you can do to help

Every day we must raise £7000 to be able to continue to offer our services to the 700 patients and their families living in the area who are affected by life-threatening illness. This Christmas consider adding a gift to Dorothy House to your present list and help us to continue providing this care to local people.

£25 could provide hot nutritious lunches for five day patients

£35 could provide toys for children visiting parents on the in-patient unit

£50 could fund a physiotherapist visit to a patient’s home

£120 could provide two nurse specialist visits for a patient at home

£330 could pay for overnight nursing auxiliary care in a patient’s home

£600 could allow a patient to stay on the in-patient unit for one day

Every gift to Dorothy House is appreciated but to help us provide this care all year round, please consider giving us a regular gift. A regular gift will help local people receive the care they need when it counts, all year round: 

Just £5 a month could help us run our new drop-in support and information service at our outreach centre in Trowbridge.

With £10 a month you could help us run our 24 hour advice-line for patients, families and professionals, every day of the year, including Christmas Day.

With £25 a month you could help us provide more than 16,000 nurse specialist visits and contacts for patients in the community.

Click here to download a Christmas Appeal Donation Form [399kb PDF]