Advice and Guidance
Weston Hospice offer same day advice via email and are also available 24/7 for clinical advice on the phone.
24-HOUR TELEPHONE ADVICE – 01934 423900 – available to clinicians or patients/carers, whether patient is known to the service or not
SAME DAY EMAIL ADVICE – whc.advice@nhs.net – usually responded to same-day between the hours of 9am and 4.30pm
Referrals
Patients can be referred by their GP, District Nurse, specialist secondary care team or hospital Palliative Care team. We will also review self-referrals although we would usually also contact the GP as part of this process.
All referrals are screened to ensure the appropriateness of the referral, and that the correct service is chosen to meet the needs of the patient. There are times we do not take patients onto our caseload following this and the referrer would be informed of the reason if this was the case.
Patient Referral Criteria:
- Patients have life-limiting disease with complex associated problems that may be physical, psychological, social, emotional or spiritual in their origins.
- Due to the level of complexity and/or intensity of their illness, the patient’s needs cannot solely be met by other services/care providers at this time.
- The patient lives within and / or are registered with a GP within our coverage area (see map).
- Both the GP and patient/advocate agree to the referral.
Please use our main referral form available here for all referrals, unless specified (see below re Fatigue and Breathlessness and Neuro support Group). There is an EMIS version of this form available. All referrals should be emailed to referrals.hospice@nhs.net
Please read information below relating to our services.
COMMUNITY SERVICES – Patients can be referred to the following services using our referral form, which should be emailed to
- Hospice Community Nurse Specialist
- Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care
- Emotional Support Team
- Companion Support
- Day Hospice Programme
- Physiotherapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Wellbeing service Including Complementary Therapies
Referrals will be contacted within 2 weeks. For patients referred to a Hospice Community Nurse Specialist, if the referral is stated to be urgent we will endeavour to make contact within 2 working days of receipt. If you are seeking a faster/more urgent response, please contact one of the Hospice Outreach Team on 01934 423900.
Please see sections below regarding day hospice and Fatigue & breathlessness (FAB) group
INPAITENT SERVICES (ADMISSIONS) – Please telephone the hospice to liaise with the inpatient unit directly regarding any admission requests. This must be done in addition to completing the referral form (which should be sent to referrals.hospice@nhs.net) if the patient is not already open to our services
Please note admissions are prioritised based on specialist palliative care needs. We admit in working hours only and may not immediately have a bed – where there is a delay we will provide advice as to symptom management or signpost to other sources of support as needed. It may also be that we decide, after discussion that the patient does not fit our criteria, in which case we may suggest or signpost the referrer to other sources of support rather than a hospice admission. Please note we do not do ‘respite’ care.
FATIGUE & BREATHLESSNESS – Weston Hospicecare Fatigue and Breathlessness Management (FAB) Group, led by our Physiotherapist and Occupational Therapist, aims to equip people with self-help strategies for managing fatigue, breathlessness and any related anxiety. The group consists of up to 12 people, and patients are encouraged to bring a family member, friend or carer. The programme runs five times a year from for four consecutive weeks from 10.30-12.30 on a Friday morning at Day Hospice. Attendees are invited to stay for a light lunch afterwards if they wish.
Please see the attached information:
FAB patient information leaflet
NEURO SUPPORT GROUP – The Neuro support group aims to provide practical support and information to people and their loved ones living with a neurological condition, such as Motor Neurone Disease, Multiple System Atrophy, Huntingdon’s Disease or other progressive neurological conditions. The group consists of up to 12 people, and patients are encouraged to bring a family member, friend, or carer. The programme runs biannually for four consecutive weeks, from 10:30-12:30 on a Friday morning at Day Hospice. Attendees are invited to stay for a light lunch afterwards if they wish.
Please see attached information: