Share review of St Helena Hospice

St Helena Hospice 2019-01-23 Person 1 5 0

My father was cared for at home by family members. The end of life care was provided by the St Helena Hospice through their Single Point, this service was a bit hit and miss as to sometimes being told to contact the district nurse yourself. We received a few visits from an member of staff with clipboard, which after a few visits my father actually asked what he actually visited for. We did fill in an end of life form which was about how my dad would like to be cared for, having spent a while with our dad and other family members discussing what we should put on we found that our staff nurse handed it back to us saying what a good job we had done and that was the last of it. The staff member did get us a hospital bed, but it would be excellent if they had an actual service to move the patient into it rather than us having to pay privately for a company to move my father from one room to another. We had one particularly awful night when my father was basically drowning in his bed and gasping/bubbling out "I didn't know dying was this bad", "God, help me". We immediately phoned singlepoint and were told that the one on duty district nurse was off to another call and no body else was available. The situation was getting worse with my dad trying to breath and choking , my elderly mother distraught, so I phones back again to see what other help we could get. The nurse on the end was trying to tell me in calm way that there was nothing to worry about and that it can be distressing seeing a patient like this. Thank goodness I called on my mobile as I took it too my Dad's side and held it so that she could hear him saying 'Help me'. She then sent out 2 members of staff who arrived the same time as the district nurse. After that our dad didn't speak again. When he eventually passed away the hospice team came along to remove equipment, my brother and I sat with my Mum in the lounge and we could hear the two ladies chatting and laughing in general conversation. All in all I wouldn't say my experience of the Hospice was great, I expect if you go into the Colchester site it is wonderful but for care at home I think it needs improving. Our family I expect like many others think that the Clacton Hospice has beds for patients for care but as we found out this is not the case. I did visit the Clacton Hospice as I was after getting some more information on how we could help my Dad and recognise different stages he was going through, but there was just a receptionist there and a member of shop staff. Lovely building which I can see why their closing it as it's just a waste of space. We were grieving the loss of husband and Father well before he passed away and it would have been a great help to have assistance then. After he had passed it was more a relief that he wasn't suffering anymore. You hear and see so much about the hospice, Macmillan nurses, Marie Curie it gives you a false view of what your care will be at your end of life. It's no glossy magazine picture or maybe the one on the Hospice site of their nursing staff with paper in pens is right.