HospiceCare

About HospiceCare North Northumberland 

HospiceCare is the local Hospice at Home charity for North Northumberland serving a population of over 65,000. We deliver practical and emotional care and support to adults living with a terminal illness requiring palliative input and end-of-life care. We also offer support to their families and carers.

The care is delivered in the home by our specially trained Nursing team and Hospice Support Workers. Access to our Hospice at Home service is via any healthcare professional e.g. GP, District Nurse, Macmillan Nurse, or Community Matron. HospiceCare also provides Bereavement and Dementia Support services which are accessed via self-referral. There is no charge at the point of delivery for our services which cost the Hospice around £1m each year. We receive an annual contribution from the NHS of around 5%, the rest we have to raise from fundraising, community donations, trusts and foundations, legacies and our charity shops.

Nursing Care Services

Our Hospice at Home service is provided by qualified nurses and hospice support workers and aims to enable adults over the age of 18 with an advanced illness to be cared for at home until they die, if that is their preference, or to remain at home for as long as they wish. Care can also be provided to assist with a rapid discharge from inpatient care to home care if that is the patient’s wish. The care given can change with the patient's needs and is available 365 days a year, day or night. Our Hospice at Home service works closely with the GP Practices, District Nurses, and the local Macmillan services. We aim to provide responsive holistic care to make the final days of life peaceful and comfortable.

Family Support Service

Delivered by our Family Support Coordinator to support the person who is over the age of 18 living with a palliative diagnosis and their families in their own homes, or in our Hospice buildings. Our Coordinator is able to, if appropriate, introduce/refer the family to our Hospice at Home service.

Bereavement Support Service

Our bereavement support is delivered by trained volunteers led by our Family Support Coordinator. We offer an initial assessment to explore how we can help you. For some, the one-off assessment session may be enough. For others, it may be helpful to meet again, and we will discuss this with you during the assessment. Our bereavement support is delivered in both one-to-one and Bereavement Drop-in Café sessions at our Wellbeing Centres in Alnwick and Berwick. This service can be accessed at any time – no matter what the stage of bereavement. No previous contact with the Hospice is necessary. Please note, we do not provide medical advice, family therapy, psychotherapy, or social work services.

Dementia Support Service

HospiceCare recognises the impact dementia can have on a person and their loved ones. We have a Dementia Care Coordinator with a high level of experience in caring for those with dementia. Wherever a person is on their dementia journey, our Dementia Care Coordinator can offer advice and signpost carers to the most relevant and appropriate support for both the person with dementia and their family. We aim to improve the well-being and quality of life for both the person with dementia and their carer(s). Our Dementia Support Service offers Dementia Drop-In Cafes at our Wellbeing Centres in Alnwick and Berwick, as well as Dementia Walking Football sessions at leisure centres in Alnwick & Berwick.

Testimonial
 
"We are extremely grateful for all the support we received from HospiceCare North Northumberland. It’s hard to find the right words to say how much we valued the care shown to my husband and the rest of the family. We could not change his cancer diagnosis and knew that his death was inevitable. The only ‘control’ we had was to try and give him a ‘good death’ ie without pain, fear or anxiety. We feel we did achieve this thanks to help from HospiceCare. There is nothing we can think of that would make any improvement to the help and support we received." Quote from one of our families