Community Care Unit

Community Care Units & Ridley's Café

The Community Care Unit supports patients with complex needs. The service supports symptom control, advance and improve ease of access to professionals and provide social integration.

It is aimed at those suffering from a progressive or life-limiting illness requiring the input of several of our professionals and who would benefit from having their appointments on the same day.

In Ipswich, Ridley's Café is open for patients and families to enjoy refreshments, snacks and drinks from Tuesday to Thursday, 10am-3pm, whilst attending appointments.

The referral process for the Community Care Unit remains the same as follows:

  • If you are a professional, patient or family member wanting to refer to our services, please complete this referral form for Ipswich and East Suffolk.
  • For Great Yarmouth and Waveney, please refer via this form here.
  • If you are already known to the hospice, you can speak to a member of our staff when you see them next or please call the OneCall on 0800 567 0111.

At St Elizabeth Hospice Ipswich, you can expect:

  • One central location at the hospice on Foxhall Road, Ipswich, IP3 8LX
  • Pre-booked appointments available so patients can receive multi-professional input on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
  • The option to remain at the hospice in Ridley's Atrium on the day of the visit and enjoy Ridley's Café
  • Patient care will be booked depending on individual needs
  • A designated day for Zest young adults and families will be hosted on a Friday
  • Support groups and rehabilitation programmes
  • Hairdressing, complementary therapy and beauty therapy will be available for a suggested donation fee

In Great Yarmouth and Waveney, in partnership with East Coast Community Healthcare:

  • Community Care Unit locations will operate across the region, instead of being limited to one location and one day of the week
  • Locations for the Community Care Unit in this area are at: Beccles Hospital on a Monday, Louise Hamilton Centre on a Tuesday, Martham Medical Centre on a Thursday and a clinic at the Pear Tree Centre in Halesworth on Fridays.
  • Pre-booked appointments will be available for patients to receive multi-professional input
  • Patients booked in with the relevant professionals will have the option to stay on the day of the visit
  • Patient care will be booked depending on individual needs
How to contact the Community Care Unit:

In Ipswich:

  • Please call directly on 01473 707014 (Tuesday to Friday 9am to 5pm).

In Great Yarmouth and Waveney:

  • Please call our 24/7 OneCall number on 0800 5670 111

FAQs

Formerly known as day services or day care, it is a place where patients can attend who have a progressive or life-limiting illness, requiring input from several of our professionals.

 

It is to support people with symptom control issues, provide rehabilitation and social opportunities in an environment that is friendly and relaxed.

If a patient is already known to the hospice, they can discuss this with a member of the team at their next appointment or via the OneCall number on 0800 5567 0111 and you can discuss this with a member of the team.

 

Alternatively, patients can complete a self-referral form online by visiting our website page here.

 

Health care professional can refer by visiting our website page here.

 

For Great Yarmouth and Waveney, please refer here.

 

Each referral will be assessed by the team for suitability. A team member may want to discuss this further with you to ensure that this service is best placed to meet your needs. We may also work with other services in the local area so that your personal goals can be met.

To attend on a given day at one of our Community Care Unit locations where you will have pre-booked appointments with the professionals you would benefit from seeing.

 

You may wish to spend time relaxing, socialising or to make use of what we have on offer e.g. internet, library. 

Please bring with you what you require for the length of time you are with us. For example, medications, water and mobile phone. If you have a live in carer or a personal care assistant, you may find it helpful to bring them with you.

This is dependent on the location of the unit.

In Ipswich:

  • We are open between 9am and 4pm Wednesday and Thursdays and from 9am to 3pm on Tuesdays. Staff to support your personal care needs will be available from 9am – 4pm each day.

In Great Yarmouth and Waveney:

  • We are open between 10am and 4pm.

There are light refreshments and beverages available at Ridley's Café in Ridley's Atrium at the Community Care Unit in Ipswich.

You are also welcome to bring your own. 

This will depend on when each professional will need to see you. Some people may come weekly to begin with and then may only need a review six months later. Some people may only need to be seen twice a month. This will be discussed with you and will be dependent on your own therapy goals.

We plan to have bookable appointments available for our hairdressers, complementary therapy and beauty treatments for a small additional fee. Please note, that this will not be available in the initial periods while the service is being developed.

At your initial assessment, your care needs and goals will be discussed. The hospice Community Care Unit offers a social element to our services, however if it is identified that you and/or your carer would benefit from respite, we will work with you to explore services in the community available to help you meet this need.

This will be discussed as part of our triage process. Each location will have on site healthcare assistants who are there to assist with some activities to support your comfort.

Each of our sites provides free parking.

Yes - however, if you require further assistance, please see more details below:

 

Ipswich and East Suffolk

  • Patients are able to book transport via the Patient Transport Services
  • Please ring 0300 999 666 (08.00am-6.00pm) or 0300 777 2277 (out of hours)

 

Alternatively other community services and private companies are available depending upon your address and transport needs via the following links:

 

Great Yarmouth and Waveney

As well as reading this page, you can call our Community Care Unit team. For Ipswich, call directly on 01473 707014 (Tuesday to Friday 9am – 5pm). For Great Yarmouth and Waveney, please call our OneCall team: 0800 567 0111.

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