Carers & family

We know that life-shortening conditions affect not only the person who has been diagnosed, but those close to them too.

Everyone at St Catherine’s is committed to supporting relatives and friends alongside their care of the patient. We also have a dedicated Support Team which is here to help carers and loved ones in a range of practical and emotional ways. The team is made up three qualified social workers who work with patients and loved ones on our in-patient unit and in the community.

They also support carers in the community who don’t have to be connected with the hospice. See details about our Carers’ Drop-In sessions below.

Their role is extremely diverse and includes:

• Ensuring the social care needs of our patients and their loved ones are met. This could be putting systems in place to ensure relatively simple things like shopping and housework are managed, to dealing with more complex issues such as advising on benefits or housing issues
• Facilitating safe and timely discharges from the hospice in-patient unit by working with patients and carers to put measures – e.g. suitable equipment – in place, and arranging any care packages that might be needed to help people return home safely and comfortably
• Safeguarding adults and children, ensuring protection for vulnerable people who are under our care
• Supporting carers in their vital role and ensuring their own needs aren’t overlooked. The team does this through a monthly carers’ drop-in support session and by managing our volunteer-led Befriending Service which provides a life-line to carers, allowing them to take a much-needed break
• Co-ordinating spiritual support at the hospice. This can means lots of different things to different people, with the team providing support in various ways – from arranging for local faith leaders to visit the hospice in-patient unit, to organising services in our multi-faith chapel, helping with the creation of memory boxes, or simply having a chat with someone about how they are feeling.