Saint Catherine’s launches a new fast-track service to care for people in their own homes

Saint Catherine’s launches a new fast-track service to care for people in their own homes

Saint Catherine’s Hospice is launching a new service across Scarborough to ensure people receive the best possible end-of-life care if they wish to remain at home.

The Fast Track Home Care service is being rolled out across Scarborough from September 9. The service has been available in the Whitby area since Spring 2022.

It is being funded by NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) with the aim of ensuring consistency in service provision across the region.

Michelle Muir, Clinical Director at Saint Catherine’s, said: “More and more people would like to be cared for in their own homes at the end of life, so it is really important they receive the specialist care and support they need. The Fast Track Home Care service means patients’ wishes to remain at home can be met and with this new model, we will be caring for patients at home across a wider area than ever before.”

Wendy Balmain, NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB’s North Yorkshire Director, added: “Part of the mission of the ICB is to ensure people end their lives well. This means giving people the choice to receive quality end-of-life care in their own homes – where this is possible. Saint Catherine’s has a distinguished record for providing high quality end-of-life and palliative care and I’m delighted the ICB has been able to support the Fast Track Home Care service for Whitby and Scarborough, and in due course, Ryedale.”

The service, which requires a referral from a healthcare professional, runs late into the evening, seven days a week, with out-of-hours care provided by district nurses and GP services along with telephone support available via Saint Catherine’s Palcall service.

Once the Fast Track Home Care service is operating in Scarborough, the next step will be to roll it out to the Ryedale area, reaching patients across an even wider geographical area.

The new service will create around 20 new roles and has already been receiving positive feedback from patients and families in the Whitby area.

Feedback so far has included:

“I did not know that such kindness existed in this world but we received it from everyone at Saint Catherine’s. May I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful care my husband and I received.”

“Thank you for everything you did to help mum and us. Your care and compassion were second to none and we really can’t thank you enough.”

“Nothing was too much trouble. Thank you for making a difficult time that bit easier.”

To find out more about the services available at Saint Catherine’s, please go to www.saintcatherines.org.uk or email general@saintcatherines.org.uk