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Nottinghamshire Hospice
Nottinghamshire Hospice was established in 1980 and has grown to serve its local community in meeting the palliative care needs of adults who are in the latter stages of any advanced progressive illness. It aims to provide its services free of charge to enable patients to
live their lives as fully as possible, and to be able to die with peace and dignity. Between April 2008 and March 2009 Hospice at Home delivered a total of 21,986 hours of nursing care to members of the community that wished to die at home. The Hospice Daycare
service also cared for 4,488 patients, delivering a total of 17,952 hours of care.
The Daycare service offer respite for carers and a relaxed and comfortable environment in which to mix with other patients and to
receive professional care from nursing, medical, physiotherapy, counselling and complementary therapy staff. A team of volunteers
work alongside the team to make the day as enjoyable as possible, providing activities such as arts and crafts, discussion groups,
short services or occasional outings. Meanwhile, the Hospice at Home team provide nursing care to patients in their own homes to
complement the care given by the primary health care team. They stay with a patient for a period of several hours, or overnight, in
order to provide hands on care and emotional support to patients and their carers.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defined palliative care as “the active total care of patients whose disease is not responsive to
curative treatment”. We cannot add days to their lives but we can add life and dignity to their days. John, a patient at Nottinghamshire
Hospice Daycare says “ we have so much fun and the laughter hardly ever stops, if I wasn’t here, I would be at home just sitting in my
chair and wishing my days away – I have made new friends and the care given by the staff is wonderful – my days may be numbered
but my time is full to the brim”.
The cost of running Nottingham’s only voluntary hospice will, this year, be some 2.1 million. Of this approximately 30% comes from
statutory services, the remainder has to be raised from donations, events, our Hospice Lottery and the retail activities of our charity
shops.
Beverley J Brooks MBE, Nottinghamshire Hospice Chief Executive says “The professional care and commitment of all our staff is
reflected in the faces of our patients and their families and carers who use our services”.
We hope that you will want to support the Hospice in its work, through purchasing these cards – by joining with us in this endeavour
you really can make a difference to people’s lives.
Beverley J Brooks MBE
Chief Executive
Registered Charity Number 509759
http://www.nottshospice.org
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