Hospiscare and RD&E praised for good end of life care

Tracey Bleakley, the CEO of Hospice UK today praised Exeter Hospiscare and the RD&E for their end of life care and the difference it makes to patients and their families.

This morning Tracey who leads the national charity representing hospices, was visiting Exeter Hospiscare’s Searle House Hospice and its team working at the RD&E. On the day a national report criticised many hospitals for failing to provide good end of life care Tracey was told this story by a Hospiscare consultant working at the RD&E.

“I was really taken by the story of a patient who was on the hospital’s acute medical ward one evening. His family were very distressed, but within a few hours he was transferred to Searle House Hospice and the family were sitting around him eating fish and chips. It just made me realise the difference that you can make. “This story is a really good example of how hospices and hospitals can collaborate to give the very best care for people at the end of life. It’s all about team working between the hospital and hospice.”

Hospiscare staff nurse Alison Northcott sat with the patient when he died the following morning. “I phoned his family to tell them he had deteriorated but they couldn’t make it in time. The family were very grateful and said as soon as they walked into the hospice they had felt more relaxed and calm. They felt supported. I was able to spend time with the patient’s family and they were so grateful for the experience of being here.”

Hospiscare has a team of experts working at the hospital alongside the ward teams and the end of life team– it employs two specialist palliative nurses who are led by Mrs Wendy Sturt and Dr Becky Baines from our consultant medical team, all of whom work at the hospital. Hospiscare has been providing this expert help since 1995 when Mrs Sturt was the first Hospiscare specialist palliative nurse to work at the hospital.

Last month Exeter Hospiscare praised the RD&E Hospital for achieving a good rating in all areas of end of life care from the Care Quality Commission.