Hospice launches Community Care Unit service
St Elizabeth Hospice has extended its support to the local community with the launch of its Community Care Unit service in both East Suffolk and Great Yarmouth and Waveney.
Replacing the hospice’s former Day Care services, the Community Care Unit will continue to care for patients living with progressive or life-limiting illness and complex needs by providing such support as symptom control, advance ease of access to healthcare professionals and social integration.
The Community Care Unit offers the opportunity for patients’ wellbeing and social needs to be met, while also enabling the convenience of all necessary healthcare appointments to be organised and completed in one location, at the hospice Atrium in Ipswich, on the same day. While in Great Yarmouth and Waveney the Community Care Unit will be held at Martham Medical Centre on a Thursday and Sole Bay Health Centre on a Friday.
Hanna McDowell, Head of Therapy and Community Care Units at St Elizabeth Hospice, said: “We are delighted to launch our new Community Care Unit Service and to continue developing our services to meet the ever-evolving needs of patients and their families.
“Providing a personal and tailored service to patients is at the heart of the hospice’s work. Through the new Community Care Unit we will deliver holistic care to each individual and their family to ensure we are able to support more people who need our vital care throughout the region.”
Held in the Atrium, at St Elizabeth Hospice in Ipswich, the Community Care Unit will offer these services predominantly on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, allowing patients and their families to receive specific care and support from the hospice’s multi-disciplinary team in a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere.
The Community Care Unit will also provide a range of nursing and medical care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, emotional and wellbeing support, support groups and rehabilitation programmes for patients, as well as additional services such as hairdressing, complementary therapy and beauty therapy.
Each patient will be assessed before they first attend the Community Care Unit service to identify their needs and to determine what support is required before a tailored plan of care is created to meet these needs.
To register for the Community Care Unit, call St Elizabeth Hospice’s 24-hour specialist palliative care advice line, OneCall, on 0800 5567 0111 to discuss with a member of the team or complete a self-referral for online by visiting www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/how-we-can-help/hospice-care/community-care-unit/.