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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 2007 and March
2008 Hospice at Home delivered to community members who wished to die in their own homes, a total of 19,705 hours of
care. The Hospice Daycare service also had a caseload of 3,189 patients, delivering a total of 12,756 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 2.2 million. Of this only 20% 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.
Thank you.
Beverley J Brooks MBE
Chief Executive
Registered Charity Number 509759
http://www.nottshospice.org
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