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Hospice at Home

The Hospice at Home team provide specialist hands-on care and support in people’s own homes or usual place of residence, when they are approaching the end of their life.  

Referral Form (send with consent form) Consent Form
Nurse standing in front of a car
Two nurses wearing dark blue uniforms, either side of a red car outside the entrance of the Hospice
Female nurses standing outside a building and blue car
Two Nurses standing in front of a car
Nurse standing in front of a car

Caring for you in the place of your choice 

We know that many people would prefer to die at home, providing you feel safe, your symptoms are well managed and your family and loved ones are well supported.  Our Hospice at Home teams work closely with your GP and District Nurse to make this possible. 

Our compassionate team of healthcare assistants (HCAs) and Nurses are experts in the practicalities and complexities of end of life care and able to support you at the end of your life, to die in your own home if you wish.  

Our skilled HCAs will care for you in your home, with your loved ones and familiar things around you. 

Care when and where you need it

We have expanded our service to provide more care throughout the county during the day.

We know that family carers want to be able to care for the person you love and that this can be hard: sometimes you need support with particular care needs. This is what our teams can offer, during the day, to help you carry on caring.

Having our Hospice at Home team support you with their care, skill and knowledge can help keep you at home, avoid unwanted admission to hospital and help you return home from hospital when admission has been necessary.

Our care is practical and holistic. It might involve keeping you comfortable, ensuring you have the medication you need, providing a hand massage and words of comfort. Our care is focused on you and what you need.

Please note, in order to remain as flexible as possible – to meet the changing needs of patients who are rapidly deteriorating, our Hospice at Home service does not offer fixed visiting times. We will agree with you when you can expect support, for instance mid-morning, late afternoon or early evening and we will always aim to keep you informed when staff are delayed.

Unfortunately, we do not provide overnight care, regular respite or sitting service, live-in carers or 24-hour care or long-term care packages for people who are chronically ill.

Making a Referral to the Hospice at Home Service 

All referrals for our Hospice at Home service need to be made via Cambridge and Peterborough Continuing Healthcare (CHC).

Please complete BOTH forms:  

Please complete a Fast Track CHC form and email this to capccg.newreferrals@nhs.net. AND a Consent Form which must also be completed and returned. Without the consent form the referral will be rejected. This must be obtained (unless a patient lacks capacity in which case the Mental Capacity Act applies and best interest discussions with the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) must take place and be agreed). For further discussion, advice and information please contact our Hospice at Home team.

Contact

Email: care@arhc.org.uk

Or call: 01223 675777  

 

Sue also explains how we supported her through bereavement in this video (opens in YouTube)

Patient & Family Support

Patient speaking to Chaplain

Complementary Therapy

Therapist providing reflexology

Specialist Care Team

Nurse answering call in Arthur Rank Community Team's office

Bereavement Support

Patient speaking to Chaplain

I can't thank you enough for the wonderful care thoughtfulness, humour and support you gave to myself and my husband who died at home. You do such an important job, and I'm sure because of the grief people feel, you are rarely thanked in the way you deserve - so thank you

 December 2023

FAQ

How many people are cared for by Hospice at Home?

671 patients were seen by our Hospice at Home team across Cambridgeshire (including the Fens) between April 2023 – March 2024. 

Our team will look after your practical needs (for example washing or re-positioning you and administering prescribed medicines), as well as supporting your family, offering them a break from caring during the day or to have an uninterrupted night’s sleep.  

They help with pre- and post-bereavement practicalities and support, and can also request support from specialists in our wider team. For example, they might organise for a patient, family member or loved one to receive psychological or spiritual support, or complementary therapy.   

Part of our care is funded through our NHS contract, and we work in partnership with the wider healthcare system, particularly District Nurses and GPs, the wider hospice team and other specialists, to support patients and families to be cared for at home, if that is their wish and it is safe to do so.  

Patients are usually referred into the Hospice at Home team by healthcare professionals, including the Hospice’s Specialist Palliative Care Home Team, District Nurses, local GPs and local hospitals.

For further information, please visit How and when to seek a referral or call the team on 01223 675800

Thanks to the dedication, commitment and generosity of the local community and the hard work of our senior leadership team to secure vital contracts with the NHS, all our services are free of charge.      

Please visit our webpage (click here) to find out more about how we are funded. 

Face to Face appointments – we can offer free face-to-face Will writing and legal advice appointments with local solicitors who have kindly offered a certain amount of appointments each month.

To book one of these appointments just contact Rachael, Future Gifts Manager on 01223 675881 or email r.brown@arhc.org.uk 

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