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St Peter’s Hospice
Patient Guide
Large print version
www.stpetershospice.org
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Welcome to St Peter’s Hospice
Now that you have been referred to St Peter’s Hospice, and
accepted the offer of our care, we will do our very best to look after you, and your family, in every possible way.
St Peter’s Hospice is a charity providing free care for those with
complicated needs often towards the end of life but nearly always
needing relief from distressing symptoms or worries. We provide
this care to the people of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North
Somerset and part of Bath and North East Somerset (BANES).
Together with our healthcare partners, such as your GP, District
Nurses and local hospitals, we want to give you the very best of health and social care.
We pride ourselves on our high standards of care; as you would
expect we meet National Guidelines (such as those provided by
the NHS), and we are answerable to the Care Quality Commission, who ensure we provide care of the highest quality.
We have a variety of services at the Hospice in Brentry but also
provide many hours of care by telephone, in the community and
in the homes of our patients. I hope you will find this booklet
useful to familiarise yourself with all the services we provide and
those who provide them. If you and your family would like to
come to the Hospice for an informal look around, you are very
welcome. Please contact the main switchboard and we will
arrange this at a time that is convenient to you.
Simon Caraffi
Chief Executive
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About St Peter’s Hospice
St Peter’s Hospice is a Bristol charity that provides care and
support for adults with life-limiting illnesses. We aim to improve
the quality of their living and dying, while also extending support to their families and carers.
We do this in many different ways, in the community as well as at
our hospice building at Brentry; and by working alongside all
other health and social care services. We also provide education
for other health and social care professionals to support them in their work.
All of our care is provided free of charge but it costs us around
£19,000 a day to provide that care. For most of this money we rely on Gifts in Wills, donations, fundraising and our shops.
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Confidentiality and Data Protection
Under the Data Protection Act (1998), we need to make you
aware that we keep electronic and sometimes paper records in
relation to your care. The information we hold includes your
name, address, date of birth and your medical history. Relevant
information is shared with your permission both internally and
externally with other healthcare teams or social services where this will benefit your care.
In addition, your GP will share aspects of your GP record with us,
if you have given your permission. There are rare occasions where the law requires us to share information with other parties.
If you do not wish us to discuss your care with family members or other people close to you, please let us know.
The Data Protection Act 1998 allows you to see your records,
should you wish to do so. If you wish to have access to your
medical records, please put this in writing and address it to the
Medical Director. A small charge may apply for this service to cover our administration costs.
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Access to Hospice services
Tel: 0117 915 9494
Who is eligible for referral to the Hospice?
Any patient over the age of 18 with an active and advanced
life-limiting disease such as cancer, heart disease, lung
disease and neurological diseases may be referred for
Hospice support at some point in their illness.
Patients are often referred at a time when they are close to
the end of active treatment, or simply when they have
particularly difficult symptoms or problems.
Patients who are nearing the end of their life may also want
to discuss their preferences for how and where they die, and
know what additional support the Hospice may be able to offer them.
Who can make a referral to the Hospice?
Patients are usually referred to the Hospice by a health or social
care professional such as your GP, district nurse or hospital
palliative care team. Your GP must always be aware of the referral and in agreement with it.
What happens next?
Once you have been referred to the Hospice, a nurse from our
Access Team will telephone you to establish the urgency of your
referral and to explain the full range of services that the Hospice
offers. The access nurse can also help you with any urgent issues
and offer guidance and advice. After this you may see a
community nurse specialist or have an outpatient appointment.
Some referrals are for specific services and the Access Team will
make sure that you see the right team. The Access Team also
runs the advice line during normal working hours and at weekends.
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On-going contact with the Hospice
Following assessment and whatever initial support may be most
helpful, some patients are then able to manage without on-going
Hospice care. They may be discharged, in the knowledge that
they can contact the Hospice at any time in the future to ask for further help.
Other patients may remain in regular contact with the Hospice.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
At St Peter’s Hospice we think it is important to involve you in
discussions about your future care, including decisions about
cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Cardiopulmonary arrest means a
person’s heart and breathing stop. When this happens, it is
sometimes possible to restart their heart and breathing with
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Many of our patients will be
involved in discussions with their healthcare team which result in
a Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR)
decision. Please ask for our leaflet ‘Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Decisions at St Peter’s Hospice’ if you want more detailed information about our policy and how decisions are made.
Our policy on resuscitation states that in an emergency, if there is
a chance of success and no DNACPR decision has been made, we
will attempt CPR. However, we do not have advanced equipment
for CPR, such as a defibrillator, as it is very rare that we would
use this type of equipment. However, our staff are trained in first
aid CPR and in this situation a ‘999’ ambulance would also be called.
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AT HOME AND IN THE COMMUNITY
We work in the community to care for patients in any setting wherever they are living.
Community Nurse Specialists
Tel: 0117 915 9493
Our community nurse specialists are experienced nurses with
additional training in palliative care and communication skills. We
have four teams of community nurse specialists who work from
different localities so that they are near to where people live.
They work alongside GPs and other community nurses in their
area and meet them regularly to discuss patients’ symptom
management, support and care. They also work with hospital teams.
A community nurse specialist will visit you where you are living,
whether this is your own home, community hospital or nursing or
residential home. They will keep in contact with you through visits and telephone calls.
The community nurse specialists aim to help you to manage your
symptoms and enjoy the best possible quality of life. They also
provide emotional support and can help you make decisions about
your current and future care. The care they offer is focussed on
you and your family and carers who are supporting you.
The community nurse specialist
teams work very closely with
the wider Hospice teams and
meet every week to consider
further input that might be
helpful. This could be a home
visit or outpatient appointment
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with a senior doctor or referral to other services such as Day
Hospice, Patient and Family Support, Hospice at Home or the Inpatient Unit for an admission.
Hospice at Home
Tel: 0117 915 9436 (8am-4pm)
Our Hospice at Home service provides short-term hands-on
nursing care to you in your own home. This care is provided by
Registered Nurses and Health Care Assistants who are trained and experienced in the care of the dying and their families.
We offer different levels of care depending on your needs. This
may be respite care for a morning, afternoon or overnight to
enable your carers to get some rest or to go out. We particularly
aim to support people who wish to die at home, offering direct
care in the last week or two of life. Every effort will be made to
provide continuity from the established team. However, they also work closely with other care agencies.
The GP and District Nurse will continue to visit and monitor the patient’s symptom control and comfort.
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Practical tips to help
We recognise that we are in your home to make you as
comfortable as possible. However, in order to assist with your care it would be appreciated if:
Your district nurses’ notes are available for use.
Your nurse has access to bed linen, towels etc for your use.
A lamp or reading light is available for use at night.
A kettle is available for your nurse to make a hot drink. They
will provide their own food.
A comfortable chair and suitable heating is available,
especially at night.
Your nurse is given access to washroom facilities (including
liquid soap and a separate hand towel) and toilet.
A smoke-free environment is provided for the nurse to work
in.
We are equipped to deal with occasional spillages, but we
may require access to disposable cloths and detergent.
WIDER HOSPICE TEAM
Doctors
Tel: 0117 915 9470
The Hospice has a permanent Senior Medical Team of doctors.
They provide specialist medical support to all our clinical services. They also supervise specialist qualified doctors in training.
The medical team provides 24/7 on-call support for our Inpatient
Unit, including out-of-hours admissions, and for our Advice Line
(which includes giving specialist advice to the medical staff working at North Bristol Trust).
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24-hour telephone advice line
Tel: 0117 915 9430
The Hospice runs a specialist nurse-led telephone advice line
which is available 24-hours a day, every day of the year. As a
patient, you or your family can use this to seek advice. Healthcare
professionals, especially GPs and district nurses, also use this service when they need advice from the Hospice team.
Out of hours it is answered by the nurses working on the ward.
When they are very busy there may be a delay in their response
to you, but you can leave a message and they will get back to you
as soon as they are able. We keep records of calls to the Advice
Line so that everyone involved in your care knows what advice has been given to you.
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AT THE HOSPICE We offer a range of services and care at the Hospice in Brentry.
Inpatient Unit
Tel: 0117 915 9431
Our Inpatient Unit has 18 beds for short stays of around two
weeks. Our professional team works together to provide palliative
care and support for patients who need more intensive help.
Some people will return home after their admission, whilst others
may be discharged to a nursing home, for longer-term care if
they are unable to return home. Other people are very ill and spend the last few weeks of their life in the Hospice.
The team meets each morning to discuss admission requests from
our community nurse specialists, GPs and hospital colleagues and
to plan admissions based on the urgency and complexity of
patients’ needs. This means that you may have to wait for a few
days before a bed is available. We also respond to urgent
requests out-of-hours and regularly admit patients during
weekends and Bank Holidays when this is appropriate and if we have a bed available.
Your privacy and dignity is very important to us. There are six
single rooms and six double rooms in the Inpatient Unit and,
where possible, we aim to meet your privacy needs. However, we
cannot always offer a single room and we have to consider each
individual’s requirements. If you are sharing a room, we can make arrangements for you to have private conversations.
Each bed has a television, DVD and CD player which you can use
free of charge. Free wireless internet access is available so that
you or your family can use your laptop or tablet; please speak to
one of the team if you would like to use WiFi and we will give you a code.
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If you are admitted to the Inpatient Unit, you will need to bring
any medicines you are taking. These will be looked after by our
nurses and will help us to review your symptoms and make any
adjustments. You will also need to bring your own toiletries,
shavers, nightwear and clothes. We provide all bedding and
towels, although you are welcome to bring your own if you wish. We do not provide a laundry service for patients’ clothing.
Visiting
If you are being admitted to the Hospice by ambulance, you will
enter directly onto the Inpatient Unit. All other entries (e.g for
your visitors) are via the main entrance which is open from 8am to 8pm.
Visiting hours are 11am to 8pm but we are happy to discuss
visiting at other times. Entrance to the Inpatient Unit after 8pm is via the out-of-hours entrance located at the side of the building.
Sometimes we may need to limit the number of visitors in any one group.
We have limited overnight facilities for visitors which are available subject to discussion with our nurses.
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Children are very welcome to visit but we do ask that they are
supervised at all times for their safety. Your pet can visit you but we ask that they are kept well under control.
Property
Your personal property remains your responsibility. If you have
valuable items or excess cash, we suggest you send these home with family, if possible.
There are beautiful gardens at the Hospice for patients, visitors,
staff and volunteers to enjoy. If you like to get dressed during the
day and go out into the gardens, please ensure you have a coat
and suitable footwear. If you need to remain in bed, we can move your bed outside for you to get some fresh air if you wish.
Day Services
Tel: 0117 915 9469
Day Services aims to provide a therapeutic environment that
increases your sense of confidence and empowerment in living with your illness.
If you are referred to Day Services, you will go to the Hospice one
day a week for 12 weeks, normally arriving at 10am and leaving at 3pm.
The team offers:
Nurses and doctors who offer advice on symptoms that may
be troubling you.
Individualised care with access to a wide team with
specialised skills including physiotherapists, occupational
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therapists, psychological therapies, social workers and
spiritual support.
Informal discussion groups looking at issues relevant to you,
such as appetite, mouth care, anxiety and breathlessness,
sleep, maintaining independence, skin care and oils, planning
for the future, and understanding and managing medicines.
The chance to learn relaxation skills and participate in gentle
exercise and Tai Chi.
The opportunity to receive complementary therapies with
medical referral.
An enjoyable day, where you feel supported by healthcare
professionals and volunteers and the shared experiences of
other patients.
Transport
If you do not have access to transport we can offer support to
access all our services. Our volunteer drivers require you to be
able to get in and out of their car independently. For those with
mobility difficulties, we have our own wheelchair adapted mobility vehicle.
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Fatigue and Breathlessness Management Course
We run courses to help you to manage your fatigue and
breathlessness more effectively and regain a sense of control.
Courses focus on different areas of your life, such as energy
levels, exercise, appetite, sleep, breathing control and relaxation,
and are run by a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist and a
nurse. Sessions last for two hours and are normally held on
Tuesday mornings but this may vary. If you would like to find out more, please talk to your community nurse specialist.
Complementary Therapies
Tel: 0117 915 9433
Complementary therapies are available to our referred patients.
They can help you to relax, help with sleep problems and
generally help you to feel better about yourself at difficult times.
The team of highly qualified volunteers and employed
complementary therapy coordinators can provide the following therapies:
Aromatherapy
Reflexology
Massage
Gentle touch
If you would like to use complementary therapies, you will need
an ‘internal’ referral by another member of the Hospice team, such as your community nurse specialist or doctor.
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Reception and coffee shop
Our reception desk is open from 8am to 8pm and is supported by staff and volunteers.
They will help you to feel at home at St Peter’s Hospice, introduce
you to the right staff members, direct you to the right rooms and help you over the telephone.
Our reception area also has a coffee shop, offering drinks, cakes
and snacks. The coffee shop is open from 10.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday, 11am to 5pm weekends and Bank Holidays.
Patient Smoking at Brentry
The Hospice is a non-smoking facility and we thank you and your
visitors, families and carers for your cooperation. For those
patients that do smoke there is a designated area outside the
Inpatient Unit. If you are not independently mobile and would like
to use this facility, we ask that your family or friends take you
there. The designated smoking area is not accessible in the dark
and overnight when the building is alarmed. We understand that
not being able to have a cigarette during these times can be
stressful if you smoke frequently. To help, we can offer nicotine inhalators, nicotine patches and gum.
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ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
We offer a range of additional services to support you.
Patient and Family Support
Tel: 0117 915 9454
Patient and family support is provided by a small group of
services that collectively supports individuals and families who
may be struggling to cope with the challenges of serious illness.
We offer support on a one-to-one basis, with families or in groups.
The Patient and Family Support services accept referrals for patients, carers and families already known to the Hospice.
Social Work
Our social workers can offer a listening ear, information on
statutory rights and advice on care at home or in a nursing home.
They may put you in touch with other specialists, such as benefits advisors.
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Psychological Support
When patients are referred to the Hospice it can be a difficult time
for them and their families. Our aim is to help you express and
explore how you are feeling. We may use art, music or talking therapies to do this.
Spiritual Care
Our spiritual care team helps people to explore questions of
meaning and purpose. For some, this may include aspects of a
religion or faith, but this is not always so. They can also help you
to plan for the future and to make links in the community with religious and other groups.
Bereavement Support
We continue to offer support to families and carers through
bereavement if they wish. Support is offered by a team of trained
volunteers and via groups. Some people find it very useful to
have the opportunity to meet others in a similar situation to share
their experiences. Both individuals and family groups including children can be supported.
Groups
Patient and Family Support services offer a range of therapeutic
groups including carers groups. Carers groups offer an
opportunity to meet up with others in a similar situation for
informal discussion and support. Often carers are partners or
spouses but they may also be members of the extended family or friends.
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Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
Our team of physiotherapists and occupational therapists work
with patients and their families to set goals, to enable people to
remain as independent as possible and to increase a sense of
wellbeing and control. They emphasise the ‘doing’ rather than the
‘being done to’ and this can help restore a sense of purpose and confidence. They focus on:
Advice about mobility and function.
Practical strategies to help families/carers to support patients
at home.
The provision of specialist equipment.
Techniques to cope with fatigue and breathlessness.
They play a key role in helping patients and families prepare for a
return home from the Inpatient Unit and work with patients in the
day hospice and in the community.
Hospice Volunteers
Tel: 0117 915 9448
St Peter’s Hospice volunteers enable us to continue to provide our
high standards of care and support for patients and their carers.
Our volunteers work in almost every area of the Hospice. They all
sign our confidentiality policy and work alongside us to make sure you are well looked after.
Hospice neighbours are a group of volunteers who offer social and
practical support in your home. You can find out more about their services by calling 0117 915 9448.
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COMMENTS, COMPLIMENTS AND COMPLAINTS
Your feedback
As an organisation our aim is to provide the best possible services
to anyone who has contact with us. This may be within the Hospice, in the community, in our shops or at fundraising events.
We are committed to providing a quality service to all our
patients, carers and visitors. To do this, we need to continuously
look for ways of improving the way we work. You are in the best
position to judge how we are doing and we would like you to tell
us when we get it wrong. We regularly ask patients and their
family members to help us on particular subjects as they arise so
you may be asked for your comments and opinions about aspects
of the Hospice. There are also feedback cards around the Hospice building and postboxes for you to use.
We strive not to give cause for complaint but every one is
recorded and acted upon. Quite often we can resolve a complaint
immediately. If not, we will investigate your complaint fully and deal with it quickly and confidentially.
IWantGreatCare
You can make a complaint, comment, suggestion or compliment
about an area of our work by completing a short on-line survey at iWantGreatCare. Visit stpetershospice.org.uk/ iwantgreatcare
Alternatively you can do this by writing a letter and passing it to a
member of staff, leaving it at reception or posting to the address below:
The Director of Patient Care
St Peter’s Hospice
Charlton Road
Brentry
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Bristol BS10 6NL
by telephone
Tel: 0117 915 9400
Fax: 0117 915 9473
What happens to your comments and complaints?
When we receive any adverse comment the Director of Patient
Care will review the complaint and ask the most relevant manager
to make contact with you to listen to your concerns in more
detail. If we need to do a detailed investigation we may need up
to 20 working days to do this. We will then contact you again to
let you know the outcome of the investigation. Investigations can
sometimes show us where we can change and improve our
practice; we will ensure we inform you of any changes we will
make in the future. We hope you will be reassured by the
outcome, but if not you can meet with one of the Clinical Directors to discuss further.
If for any reason you are not happy with the outcome of the
complaint process, you can contact the Chairman of Trustees or the Care Quality Commission for further help and advice.
South West Region
Care Quality Commission
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4PA
Tel: 03000 616161
Email: [email protected]
St Peter’s Hospice is required to provide evidence each year to
demonstrate compliance with healthcare standards and is
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inspected regularly. The results of inspections are published via our website and also on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
CQC as part of their inspections may wish to make contact with
you or your family to ask about your experience of using our services.
We publish our quality accounts on NHS choices as well as on our website at www.stpetershospice.org
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ST PETER’S HOSPICE We are a local charity and all of our care is provided free of
charge, but it costs us around £19,000 a day to provide that care.
For most of this money we rely on Gifts in Wills, donations, fundraising and our shops.
If you would like to receive our newsletter and keep in touch with what we’re working on and how you can support us please:
Call the Fundraising Team on 01275 391 400.
Or email becky.mitchell@ stpetershospice.org You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Your story
As Bristol’s only adult hospice it is helpful to let the community
know about our work and we are always interested in hearing
patients’ stories. If you would like to tell your story about the care
that you are receiving at the Hospice for use in the local press
please contact John Flanagan by emailing [email protected] or telephoning 07549 487822.
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ST PETER’S HOSPICE KEY CONTACTS
24-hour telephone Advice Line Tel: 0117 915 9430
Access Team Tel: 0117 915 9494
Community Nurse Specialist Tel: 0117 915 9493 (office hours; or call the Advice Line out of hours and at weekends)
Hospice at Home Tel: 0117 915 9436 (8am-6pm Monday to Friday; 8am-4pm weekends and Bank Holidays)
Day Services Tel: 0117 915 9469 (Monday to Friday)
Inpatient Unit Tel: 0117 915 9431
Medical Team Tel: 0117 915 9470
Complementary Therapies Tel: 0117 915 9433
Patient and Family Support Tel: 0117 915 9454
Hospice Neighbours Network Tel: 0117 915 9448
Main switchboard Tel: 0117 915 9400
Fundraising Office Tel: 01275 391 400
St Peter’s Hospice
Charlton Road
Brentry
Bristol
BS10 6NL
Tel: 0117 915 9400 Fax: 0117 915 9473