20 years of selfless care

There are some 300 hospices in the UK and they are often very different, with different services and different levels of capability. I was shocked to find that some areas don’t have a hospice. I was researching hospice support for my father-in-law who lives in London and is now quite ill. There was no hospice support in his area — at a crucial point in his life when he needs it. This reminded me of the importance of the Rotherham Hospice and the very big gap there would be if it did not exist.  

I am very grateful for the far sightedness and dedication of the people who pulled together and raised funds for our Rotherham Hospice, especially back in 1996 when we opened at our present location on Broom Road. They should be remembered when we think of those communities that don’t have what we have.  

We have grown our services dramatically, in particular, over the past five years. We helped nearly 1,200 patients last year, we increased our services to carers and family members through bereavement services, carer support groups and improved care at home.

Our inpatient unit was built in 2010 and consists of 14 single bedrooms all with en-suite facilities. Families and visitors are involved in their loved ones care and can stay close through our overnight accommodation. Our traditional day-care offers patients the opportunity to socialise and receive ongoing monitoring. We offer relaxation classes and exercises classes, complementary therapy and Lymphoedema clinics. We now have day therapies for blood transfusions and medical outpatient appointments.

The biggest increase in our services has been in supporting our patients at home.  The Hospice at Home (Rapid Response) team was established in Summer 2012. It enables our patients to receive care in the place of their choice.

Our Sunbeams service provides practical and emotional support for children age five and upwards.  

Rotherham has an unfortunate legacy of industrial disease. We are also generally living longer and the medical conditions that people suffer from are more complex and more costly.

Fiona Middleton, trustee of ‘Friends of Yellowman’ — David Middleton, her husband, who died in our Hospice care — summed up the support they received in the following words: “Most people, and us included, didn’t realise what the Hospice was about. However, the contact we had completely dispelled many of the negative connotations associated with a hospice and I can say that everyone; nurses, doctors, volunteers, cleaning staff and assistants are extremely dedicated and have a way about them that is not found in any other nursing or medical establishment. They treat each patient as a person, they are not defined by their illness and they provide valuable support to the families and carers but in a such a way that it doesn’t feel like support, more like a friend who just seems to know when you need a kind word or need someone to talk to too.”

Rotherham Hospice was started by Rotherham people, our services are maintained because of the money raised by Rotherham people and it will continue to provide compassion and the highest standards of end of life care, support and advice for all patients, their families and friends in the Rotherham area for as long as Rotherham people support and continue to be proud of it.