Hospice at Home

Hospice at Home is a skilled team of nurses and healthcare assistants trained to give nursing care to adult patients with any life-limiting condition in their home setting.

Care can be provided overnight (22.00 – 07.00) or for agreed periods during the day (minimum 2 hours – maximum 8 hours), in order to:

Enable patients to have choice about their place of care
Assist discharge from a hospital setting
Provide physical care and symptom control
Give respite for carers
Prevent unplanned hospital admissions
Support patients and carers through periods of crisis or stress
Facilitate palliative nursing provision including terminal care

Referrals can be made by any Healthcare Professional involved with the patient’s care providing the Community Nursing team is made aware of the referral and completed Community Nursing notes are available in the home.

Patients need to be registered with a GP in the Stroud, Berkeley Vale, South Cotswold and specific GP surgeries in Gloucester. Referrals can be received 365 days of the year, by phone: 01453 733704 or fax: 01453 885 282, up until 4pm Monday to Friday, and by phone only at weekends: 01453 733704 up until 4pm.

The service is provided free of charge. There is no necessity for the patient to be in receipt of Continuing Healthcare Funding.

Care may be requested on the day required or can be pre booked (according to availability). Referrers are encouraged to ask for care by Friday (if at all possible) if required for weekends or Bank Holidays; although ‘as required’ referrals can be accepted.

It is also helpful to receive telephone cancellations (if care is no longer needed), as early as possible, to enable reallocation or to inform the visiting nurse. Phone contact is available 08.30 – 22.00: 01453 733704 seven days a week.