Hospiscare welcomes new guidelines

Exeter Hospiscare has reassured terminally ill people that its doctors and nurses provide individual and specialist care and do not follow a tick box approach.

The local charity spoke out after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said end-of-life care in England must be tailored to the needs of dying patients rather than a "tick-box approach.”

NICE issued a new framework for healthcare professionals to provide people with the best possible care in their last days of life and said patients must be treated with respect and compassion.

Hospiscare’s medical director Dr Jim Gilbert said: “We welcome the NICE guidance as it confirms our approach to care at Hospiscare and supports the work we do within the community and hospital. We treat each patient as an individual and personalise their care to meet their needs as well as those of their families.”

Tony Berger who lives in St Thomas has become a keen supporter of the “amazing” local charity since his wife was cared for by Hospiscare nurses both at home and in Searle House , the hospice, in Dryden Road.

He said: “Eighteen months into her illness I started nursing Dawn and in November last year she came into the Exeter hospice. The comfort the staff brought to those who are affected by their loved one’s illness, not just the person being treated was amazing.

“They lifted me, from opening the front door into reception and receiving a warm greeting and knowing you are being looked after, to the spiritual help from the chaplain, to the doctors who sit quietly and talk about change of medication, to the male nurse who would just know when to give a hug, it was seamless care. It was so professional and yet so warm. It’s another level.

"Dawn was thrilled when her dog Darcy was allowed to visit her and lie on her bed. That made a big difference, especially on Christmas Day. Darcy would lie next to Dawn who put her hand on her head. It was so comforting.

“I’m facing my first Christmas alone without my beloved Dawn, and it will be hard. But I take great comfort in knowing that our last days together were so special and precious because of Hospiscare.

I am passionate that this amazing charity can be there for others, because without the hospice and the care given by their nurses, it’s got to be a sad end.”