St Luke’s Day Hospice

Day Hospice Services

Here to help you

We have a skilled team consisting of nurses and complementary therapists supported by social workers, benefits advisers, counsellors, befrienders and the Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy team.

We understand how difficult life can be for you and your family following a diagnosis of a life changing condition.

Our nurse led Telephone Consultation Care Service and Complementary Therapy Sessions can offer a listening ear, help to understand your condition, treatments and medication, practical advice, self-care advice, return to work advice and coping skills when trying to adjust for you and your loved ones.

Our Day Hospice services team can offer emotional and psychological care and practical advice to help manage complex symptoms experienced through treatments you are receiving.

We can also refer you to other internal or external services if required.

Our team of nurses will help to advise and manage symptoms.

We also have a team of complementary therapists who can offer therapies to help promote relaxation, alleviate feelings of anxiety, improve symptoms such as pain and sickness and help promote sleep.

Our Day Hospice Services team and our Inpatient Unit can offer emotional/psychological care and practical advice to help manage complex pain and symptoms experienced through disease progression.

We can also refer you to other internal services or external community services if required.

Our team of nurses and Doctors will help to advise and manage symptoms.

Illness and a change in health can raise many questions about future needs, support, care available, financial affairs and end of life decisions.

The earlier you start these conversations, the more time your family will have to ask questions, be involved and help you make decisions. You may wish to make a Will if you haven’t already, sort out your financial affairs, discuss your wishes about dying (whether your preferences are to die at home, in hospital or the Hospice) and plan your funeral.

We are a skilled team who can offer a listening ear and are able to help you to have open discussions about these subjects, which are often emotional and uncomfortable to have with loved ones.

Day Hospice Services offer face to face meetings in a safe and comfortable environment and time to talk openly about your wishes for the future. We can help you share your wishes with family, to document your wishes and share these decisions with other appropriate health care teams that are or will be involved in your care in the future.

We can also offer Telephone Care discussions if you are unable to come to the Hospice or prefer not to attend the Hospice.

When the focus of your care is to ensure comfort, quality of life and wellbeing, we can provide support and care to you via our Telephone Consultation Care, our Wellbeing Day, complementary therapy sessions or admission to our Inpatient Unit.

We can help you to choose the most appropriate method of support for your individual needs at that time.

What Happens?

How will I be triaged?

Once we receive a referral from a health care professional involved in your care, a qualified nurse from the Day Hospice Services team will contact you by telephone.

This will be so that we can assess you and allocate you to the most appropriate service for your current needs.

This phone call may typically last approximately 15 to 30 minutes. If you wish, a relative can be with you or speak on the phone on your behalf, however, we would need consent from yourself first. Consent for this can be indicated on your referral form, you can ring, write or email us or just tell us at the time that someone will speak on your behalf.

Day Hospice Services

Wellbeing Day

It is our aim to enable you to remain as well as possible and in the place of your choice. Our Wellbeing Day provides support and care to help manage symptoms, gain confidence at home and help maximise your quality of life.

Many people value the support of meeting with others in a similar situation, and your family can feel confident knowing that you are in a safe and caring environment.

We are able to invite ten patients to attend one day per week for a period of eight weeks. Times of your visit will be confirmed with you by telephone. We currently accept patients at 10am, home time will be 2.30pm.

Patients will spend their day in the Day Hospice unit. The room is large and well ventilated for your safety and comfort.

Nursing staff will provide any support and care needs you may have during your visit. Our team of nurses will spend time listening to your concerns and then offer appropriate support and advice; such as helping with symptom management, understanding medications, having difficult discussions about end of life preferences or advanced care planning.

The nurse can liaise with other services on your behalf, or refer you to other appropriate services as required to ensure you are receiving the best possible care at the Hospice and in your own home. These other services may involve our social worker, benefits advisor, Family Support and Counselling team, and our Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy team; or community services such as Occupational Therapy or Physical Therapy or Art Therapy.

We have a team of skilled complementary therapists who can offer therapies to help promote relaxation, alleviate feelings of anxiety, improve symptoms such as pain and sickness and help promote sleep. These include Reflexology, Reiki, therapeutic massage and HEARTS – a gentle touch therapy.

We know how much your loved ones mean to you so we are able to offer support for them with our carers’ services, such as counselling, spiritual care and nurse led telephone support.

Nurses will also contact your relative (if you wish) at the end of your Wellbeing Day to discuss how you have been and what support has been offered.

Your relative or friend will be able to park close to the Day Hospice entrance and drop you at the doors where staff will be waiting to greet you and assist with signing in on arrival. We also have a limited number of volunteer drivers available if you are struggling for transport.

All patients will have a planned discharge that is discussed with you and your family whilst attending. Attendance at the Wellbeing Day is for eight visits.

On discharge, you will be offered regular telephone contact from our Telephone Care Service. This will mean that a qualified nurse will ring you at home to offer ongoing support and monitor how you are.

On arrival to the Wellbeing Day you will be greeted by a member of staff who will assist you to use the hand sanitisers and offer you a face mask to wear if you wish. All furniture is wiped down after each use.

Complementary

Therapy Sessions

Our Complementary Therapy Clinics can provide support from the moment you are diagnosed with a life limiting or life changing condition. This may include coping and adjusting to life with a diagnosis, support during treatments and with advancing disease.

Our team of nurses and complementary therapists will spend time listening to your concerns and then offer appropriate treatments, support and advice.

Complementary Therapies can also be provided in patients’ own homes if they are too unwell to come into the Hospice. Patients will be referred by other teams within St Luke’s or by the Community Macmillan Nurses. For more information call 01606 555 681.

We have a team of skilled complementary therapists who can offer therapies to help promote relaxation, alleviate feelings of anxiety, improve symptoms such as pain and sickness and help promote sleep.

These include Reflexology, Reiki, and therapeutic massage.

We offer this service across two sites and will discuss which venue to attend that will be easier for you:

St Luke’s Hospice in Winsford (Monday to Thursday)
Winterley Grange near Sandbach (on Tuesdays)

You will be offered an appointment time and date to suit, and a total of six sessions will be provided. On discharge, if you require ongoing support, you will be offered regular telephone contact from our nurse led Telephone Care service.

You will need to provide your own transport to attend this service.

On arrival to the clinic you will be greeted by a member of staff who will show you where to sign in, assist you to use the hand sanitisers and offer you a face mask should you wish to wear one.

This is a telephone support service for patients and carers. Complementary therapists will use guided relaxation and visualisations over the phone and give helpful advice on relaxation techniques for stress, anxiety and sleep improvement.

Occupational

Therapy Sessions

The Occupational Therapy service is available Monday to Thursday, providing palliative rehabilitation for all patients, and their family and carers, at every stage of their illness.

The Occupational therapist provides advice and interventions to enable patients to engage in daily and meaningful activities, which may involve:

  • Assessing for and providing equipment and adaptations.
  • Advice on safe mobility and transfers.
  • Develop coping strategies to manage symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, and breathlessness.
  • Support to achieve goals, promote independence and build confidence where appropriate.
  • Assess safety to return home if this is the patient’s wish.
  • Emotional support to adjust to changing functional abilities.
  • Referrals to community services (Macmillan Therapy team, Community Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy).

The Occupational therapy service is integrated within the wider team at St Luke’s to provide a holistic approach to patient care at the hospice.  Please ask any member of the team if you feel you would benefit from meeting with the Occupational Therapist.

St Luke’s Telephone Consultation Care

Telephone Care

Regular telephone consultations can prove to be a lifeline for many patients and their families. Many feel isolated and alone in trying to deal with their illness.

Through St Luke’s Telephone Consultation Care service, our nurses are able to provide a listening ear to offer emotional support; we can help you to gain a greater understanding of your condition and medications. We will work with your other health care professionals to offer pain and symptom management advice, as well as talking through coping skills and practical advice. We are skilled in helping to talk through difficult conversations about future care needs and wishes. We can advise and help to direct patients or carers to appropriate services when needed.

As part of our Telephone Service we are also now able to offer a consultation with one of our complementary therapists. Your nurse will liaise with you and arrange a convenient time for a therapist to telephone you to discuss your needs. The therapist can offer advice for managing stress and anxiety such as breathing techniques, ideas to improve sleep or guidance for safe and gentle movement and exercise at home. Our therapist will guide you through these techniques and follow up with further phone calls if you wish.

Speak to your nurse or therapist to find out more information.

Contact The Day Hospice Team

01606 555 681

Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm