‘The Hospice at Home nurses became part of our family’

“You want the person you love to receive the best treatment, and that’s what St Catherine’s has given to us.”

A family has told how the St Catherine’s Hospice at Home team treated a beloved husband and dad with dignity and respect, treating him as an individual and showing compassion for the whole family.

Robert Turner was able to return home from hospital within a day after his family expressed their wishes for him to be cared for in his own surroundings.

His son Steven says: “Your house is your sanctuary, and you want to feel that the people coming in every day really respect that. Each one of the St Catherine’s nursing assistants were perfect; they were so caring and gentle with my dad, and they asked my mum how she was doing, if she was eating and sleeping ok. You could tell they really cared.

“He was admitted to hospital and spent a night there, and it was looking like he was coming to the end of life. We really wanted him to be at home, and within the same day of us asking, he was back home and the St Catherine’s nurses were round that evening. From that moment, it felt like we were all in heaven; they really are angels.

“Everyone says the same thing about St Catherine’s, about how fantastic the staff are. Honestly, it’s five gold stars from us!”

Robert, who continued to receive care from the charity’s Clinical Nurse Specialists at home in Penwortham, also praised the care of the newly-formed Hospice at Home team.

His wife Kathleen says: “We had their support for 17 days before being referred to a care agency and the hospice’s specialist community team. They were wonderful. It was like they became part of our family.

“They were so personable, talking and laughing with him. He had difficulties hearing so they made sure to bend down to speak in his ear rather than shouting at him, which meant a lot to him because he could understand what was happening. They’d encourage me to stay in the room while they were providing care as well, so I could be involved.

“We can’t praise them enough.”

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