Supporting You

Our highly dedicated team.

Our team consists of highly-experienced professionals ready to provide specialist palliative care. These include doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, bereavement counsellors, social workers, complementary therapists and spiritual care support.

All areas are supported by a highly dedicated team of volunteers. Our services can be accessed from the Hospice and in the Community.

In-Patient Unit

Saint Catherine’s In-Patient Unit has 7 en-suite rooms, each one offering 24-hour specialist symptom control and end of life care.

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Wellbeing Services

At Saint Catherine’s we have a range of services that are collectively known as our Wellbeing Services.

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Therapy Services

At Saint Catherine’s we use a range of therapy services to help to improve a patient’s wellbeing and increase independence.

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Clinical Nurse Specialists

We have a team of dedicated Clinical Nurse Specialists who work at Saint Catherine’s, who specialise in providing the community with palliative care.

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Palcall

Palcall is a palliative care, out-of-hours telephone helpline for patients and carers registered with our services.

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Video Resources

Here you will find a wide range of video resources that staff at Saint Catherine’s have put together for patients and their loved ones to use.

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Referrals

Who Can Refer

Saint Catherine’s cares for people who are over 18-years-old with advanced progressive, life limiting illness (Malignant or Non Malignant diagnosis) and accepts referrals from GPs, District Nurses, Specialist Nurses, Consultants and other healthcare professionals.

Saint Catherine’s seeks to provide high quality support to patients in all of its services, but in doing so must ensure that its resources are used appropriately. To try to achieve this each of the admitting services has admission and discharge criteria which will be applied to all patients referred to us.

How To Refer

Referrals to all of our clinical teams are made using the single referral form below.

Please ensure that the patient has agreed to the referral and to the sharing of their information according to GDPR principles. Where a patient is unable to consent, please indicate that capacity has been assessed, documented and a best interest decision has been made in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act.

Please email the fully completed form securely to sch.referral@nhs.net. In most cases this means you need to send the referral form using the NHS Mail service. Further guidance on sending secure email is available by clicking here.

The relevant clinical teams will review the referral by the end of the next working day (Monday-Friday for all teams except the In-Patient Unit team who operate 7 days a week). If your referral is more urgent please also ask to speak to a member of the relevant team by telephone on 01723 351421 to discuss the case in more detail.

Note: Due to new data regulations we will no longer have the ability to receive fax referrals.Referral Form

Fee for Service Lymphoedeama Referral Form

REFERRAL FORM

FEE FOR SERVICE LYMPHOEDEAMA REFERRAL FORM

You Can Refer To The Following Clinical Services

Referral guidelines and information for referrers about services can be found in the expandable sections below.

In Patient Unit
Patients with progressive life-limiting illness can be admitted to Saint Catherine’s In-Patient Unit (IPU) for symptom control or care in the last days of life which cannot be managed by the current healthcare team. Depending on bed availability, short term carer support admission (less than one week) may be offered when there is significant carer strain for a hospice registered patient whose clinical condition is stable.

Any clarification of need can be discussed with the Specialist Palliative Care Consultants or the IPU Team Leader by calling 01723 351421.

A senior IPU nurse will liaise with the referrer when a bed is available.

All patients must be referred for admission with the agreement of their GP or Consultant.

Patients referred from hospital should be assessed by a member of the hospital specialist palliative care team, if available. The hospital notes should accompany the patient together with relevant nursing and medical documentation including an EPMA print out. Medication not routinely available to the hospice should also be provided on transfer – please check with the IPU nursing staff if unsure.
Wellbeing Centre
There is currently one Wellbeing service available that requires a referral:

Multi-Disciplinary (MDT) Clinics:

The MDT clinics provide assessment as a basis for an individualised management plan. Patients can be referred to the MDT Clinic to be seen by one or more of the following professionals:
- Consultant in Palliative Medicine
- Specialist Palliative Care Physiotherapist
- Specialist Palliative Care Occupational Therapist
- Specialist Palliative Care Social Worker
- Specialist Palliative Care Counsellor
- Specialist Lymphedema Nurse
Please clearly identify which key professionals (based on the patient’s current symptoms and needs) need to review the patient at the first assessment; further appointments with other MDT members can then be arranged as required and appropriate.

The Wellbeing Centre will soon be offering a variety of self-help and group education activities for palliative care patients and their carers. Notice of availability will be posted here on our website. See more about our Wellbeing Centre here.
Consultant Clinic
Patients can be seen by a Consultant in Specialist Palliative Medicine in the outpatient setting. Home visits can be arranged if deemed appropriate after discussion with the consultant.
Lymphoedema Clinical Nurse Specialist Clinic
The service is for patients with lymphoedema which is secondary to malignant disease and patients with lymphoedema which is secondary to the treatment of malignant disease (this may develop months/years after the disease has been successfully treated).
Bereavement Support Service
Our counsellors and supporters are available to support bereaved relatives, friends and carers of Saint Catherine’s patients find ways of coping with their grief.
Specialist Palliative Care Counselling
Specialist Palliative Care Counselling to support Saint Catherine’s patients, relatives and carers, at any point during the time from a patient’s diagnosis through to the end of life. The service is provided by professional Counsellors and Psychotherapists.
CNS Community Palliative Care
Referrals are accepted for community patients and families who have specialist palliative care needs, including symptom management and psychosocial issues where those needs cannot be met by their primary care team alone.

Please phone the CNS team on 01723 351421 to discuss if you’re uncertain if the referral is appropriate.

Palliative care is a shared responsibility across all health and social care teams. Many patients in the last year of their life have non-complex needs and their needs are fully met by their primary care team; they do not require specialist palliative care support and do not need referral to this team. For non-complex palliative patients, the Community Palliative Care CNS team is available to offer telephone advice and support to health and social care teams.

The CNS team is unable to accept referrals for current hospital inpatients – referrals should be made once discharge to the community is confirmed.

Research

The palliative and end-of-life care research aims to improve care for our patients.

Improving the quality and availability of palliative and end-of-life care services is therefore a local and national priority for health and care services, commissioners and the NHS. Here at Saint Catherine’s Hospice, we are delighted to be working with our partners, the Wolfston Palliative Care Research Centre at Hull and York Medical School, to improve patient symptoms and wellbeing as they receive palliative care.

For Further Information:

Privacy Notice for project

Using an Outcomes Registry to improve Palliative Care Services across Yorkshire

Testimonials

What People Say about Saint Catherine’s

Thank you for looking after my mum during her short stay with you. To know that she was safe, comfortable, and not on her own means a tremendous amount to me.

Relative

Thank you to the Community Nurse Specialist and Fast Track Home Care team for the support given to my husband at the end of life. Every visit was so beneficial and allowed him to have a peaceful and good death.

Relative

All of the staff were amazing at Saint Catherine’s, the people who work there are unique, so caring and compassionate to everyone.

relative