A stay in the Hospice can be a worrying and uncertain time for you and your family. All at St Catherine's seek to alleviate, support and assure you in every possible way. There is recognition that life can be severely traumatised, and affected in much more than just physical ways when a diagnosis of serious, maybe incurable, illness is made. Family and social life will be, at the very least, altered and may be deeply disrupted.

St Catherine's is concerned for each and every person as a whole, and part of that concern is demonstrated in the presence of a chaplaincy team. There is a full-time Chaplain, Rev Ian Dewer, based at the Hospice, who is assisted by a team of voluntary chaplains who are available as and when their particular help is sought. They are there to offer spiritual care and support to those of any faith, and also to those of none.

So what is spiritual care, you might ask? In common with all humankind, each one of us has a spiritual dimension to our lives, just as much as we have a physical part - the latter is more easily seen and recognised. A balloon is easily seen, but the air within it is not, yet the air within is a vital component in giving life and shape to that balloon. In a similar way, the spiritual aspect of our being is the part that makes us 'tick'. It gives purpose to what we do in life, to what we value and what interests us, and to what principles we hold in life. For each person what that amounts to will be different. It is the aspect that is often neglected consciously, but is still there influencing so much of what we do. When a serious illness affects our physical life, so much else is affected and we may find ourselves reviewing our values and priorities, or being strengthened by them.

The Chaplaincy team seeks to offer help and support to both those who come into the Hospice as inpatients, and equally those who attend Day Care; to be a companion to those who may be struggling on their spiritual journey as well as strengthen those who feel assured by their faith.

There are weekly Christian services in the Hospice including Catholic mass on Thursdays.

If you are already a member of a local Christian church or other faith community, then your minister, priest or leader is always welcome at St Catherine's. It is hoped in the near future to have a spiritual care team, which will include representatives of each of the other major faiths, and will seek to meet appropriately the religious needs of all.

There is a chapel in the Hospice that is available to patients, their relatives and friends, regardless of their religious beliefs. It can be used as a place of prayer, or simply as a space for quietness. There is a welcome to all.