St Richard’s Hospice will be joining forces with more than 100 other hospices across the UK to help raise public awareness about the diversity of hospice care and highlight that it is available in many different settings beyond hospice buildings.
The theme of this year’s Hospice Care Week (6th–12th October) is ‘Hospice care, everywhere’. During the week, St Richard’s Hospice will be offering a window into the daily routines of hospice staff, patients and volunteers.
Hospice care is expert care provided by a diverse team of professional staff and volunteers that enhances the quality of life that people with life threatening illnesses have remaining. It is not only provided in hospice buildings. In fact, the vast majority of hospice care is provided in people’s own homes or within their local community.
Hospices also play an important role in supporting and educating staff and volunteers working in other settings beyond hospices, including care homes and hospitals.
Local residents are being encouraged to find out more about the services offered by St Richard’s Hospice by visiting the charity’s new shop and café in St Swithin’s Street, Worcester, on Wednesday 8th October. The hospice’s Care Director, June Patel, will be available in the café between 9am and 12 noon to answer any queries people have about hospice care.
Hospice Care Week will see the hospice pilot a new drop-in support session at the new St Swithin’s Street shop premises. Members of the hospice’s nursing team will be available at the store every other Friday from 1.30-3pm to offer informal advice and support in a confidential setting to any local residents with a life-threatening illness, or to anyone caring for a loved one.
St Richard’s Hospice is opening its doors on Thursday 9th October at 2.30pm with a tour of its Wildwood Drive facilities in Worcester. Residents are invited to visit the hospice to see the wonderful facilities available and to find out how the local charity cares for patients with life-threatening illnesses. Anyone interested in attending the tour can book their place by calling Lynne Holloway on 01905 763963.
Mark Jackson, Chief Executive at St Richard’s Hospice, said; “We are delighted to support this national awareness raising campaign. We will be encouraging our supporters to share their stories and memories of hospice care, especially through social media, to help spread the word that hospice care is not only available in a hospice building.
“We hope that people will realise that hospice care is more diverse than they might first think and will become more aware of where else it is available, especially the support hospices offer to people in their own homes. We decided to pilot the new drop in sessions to enable us to extend our care and support to the wider community, and we hope that patients not already using our services will be able to gain useful advice.”