News
Willen Hospice, at any given time, is caring for over ten times more patients in their home than in the Hospice. The Community Palliative Care Team provides this service and maintains the same standard of care that the Hospice prides itself on in the patient’s home.
The Community Palliative Care service is provided by two teams: Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) and the Hospice at Home Team. Collectively they offer care to over 250 patients each month within Milton Keynes but also travel to overlapping boundaries of Milton Keynes such as Northamptonshire and Aylesbury Vale. The increased demand on the community service has led to the team’s recent expansion – in recruiting an additional CNS and three Hospice at Home nurses. This enables the team to continue to maintain the Hospices’ philosophy of supporting patients with life limiting conditions, outside the ‘Hospice Walls’.
The Clinical Nurse Specialists are a team of six skilled, experienced nurses who work closely with GPs and other community services to help patients try to come to terms with their disease in a meaningful way. Their work involves:
- skilful assessment of patients in order for them to achieve planned goals during their illness
- use of expert knowledge to manage symptoms effectively.
The Hospice at Home team are eleven highly trained nurses who support the District Nurse and GP to care for palliative patients by providing:
- advice
- practical nursing care and assistance with patient’s symptoms to those wishing to remain at home during the terminal phase of their illness.
Paul Hinson, Director of Nursing and Patient Services, commented:
“From a team’s perspective, it is important to inform patients and their families that they have a say in choosing where they prefer to be cared for. Not all patients feel the need to come into the Hospice - some prefer to be cared for in their own home. The team will always endeavour to respect patient wishes.”
One patient who has benefited from the Community Palliative Care Team is Thomas from Olney. He has received regular visits over the past six months from his CNS and the Hospice at Home team, to support him and his wife to cope with and live with his illness. He describes the team as ‘wonderful people’ whose support he finds helpful. The team welcome patients comments as it encourages them to continue making improvements and deliver a quality and valued service.
