Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, North West Anglia Foundation Trust, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, East of England Ambulance, Healthwatch, local authorities and patient representatives, have been working together with Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice and the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity for several months to transform and expand end of life care across the region, catering for the counties’ palliative healthcare needs.

A partnership effort

However, when the pandemic hit partnership efforts were fast-tracked, in tandem with the healthcare services’ efforts to keep people out of hospital wherever possible and increase the quality of care received at home. 

Hospice at Home teams provide specialist hands-on care and support in people’s homes or usual place of residence when they are approaching the end of their life. The expanded service will be available day and night, giving patients and families specialist support at a very difficult time.

Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice’s service has been providing end of life care at home in Peterborough and surrounding communities since 2015, with the support of funding from the Morrisons charity partnership and more recently the support of Garfield Weston Foundation.

Giving more care to more people at home

As part of the project, Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice will be giving more care to more people at home, offering a greater choice in how and where people receive end of life care. Partners Arthur Rank Hospice will provide Hospice at Home care in Fenland and East Cambridgeshire, expanding to Cambridgeshire City and South Huntingdonshire. 

As part of the expansion patients in the last year of life with an end of life symptom or carer crisis will receive support over a 72-hour period while a longer term care plan comes into place. There are plans for night services to be offered, too.

A privilege to fulfil people’s final wishes

Susan Shackleton, Head of Clinical Services at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, said:

“By working closely and collaboratively with Cambridgeshire & Peterborough CCG and Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, we will be able to provide more care for more families when it really matters.

“We are looking forward to offering an extended and comprehensive service to our local community, supporting people in their homes.

“We know that for many, their final wish is to be at home in familiar surroundings. It is a privilege to fulfil those wishes and help people spend the time they have left in the way they choose.”

Maximising dignity and wellbeing

Carol Anderson, Chief Nurse from the Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Clinical Commissioning Group, concludes, “We are pleased we can provide this service to local patients and their families. It’s important that people have personalised care and have full access to the care they want at the end of their life.

“We also believe maximising dignity and wellbeing is important to all our palliative care patients and by providing end of life care in patient’s homes is an important step towards this.”

People can discuss being referred to Hospice at Home services with a healthcare professional and referrals can be made by their local GPs, District Nurses, local hospitals and other hospice service teams.

Join our Hospice at Home team

As part of the growing Hospice at Home service, Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice is seeking dedicated and passionate nursing assistants and nursing staff to join their team.

If you would like to find out more, you can read further details about and apply for our Senior Nursing Assistant day and nights role or the nights role. By joining our team, you can help us give the compassion and expert care needed for us to be there when it matters during these difficult times.

Find out further information on Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, the expert palliative care they provide and ways you can help to support them.