We all work together, to do what we do
Each of our professional teams hold a vital piece of the puzzle in making up St Clare Hospice. We couldn’t do what we do without our frontline care teams, whose work is underpinned by their colleagues in supporting teams. Together, we all strive to deliver safe, effective, caring, well-led and responsive care for local people who need us. We are St Clare Hospice, a CQC ‘Outstanding’ Hospice for the people of West Essex and the borders of East Hertfordshire.
Our care teams
Our multi-disciplinary Hospice care teams make up the six areas of our care. This includes our Inpatient Unit, Hospice at Home, Community Services, Wellbeing Hub, Patient & Family Support and Bereavement.
It takes a varied team of professionals to deliver excellent, compassionate support to people living with a life-limiting illness, approaching the end of life, or experiencing bereavement. Together, we work with local people to discover what their individual needs are. Each of our teams step in as needed; led always by the people we care for.
Our care professionals
Health care aassistants Our health care assistants work within our Inpatient Unit and Hospice at Home team. They offer general support to a person who is unwell, such as a listening ear, helping someone to feel comfortable, and personal care. Personal care includes things like helping a person with eating meals, washing and taking the time to do things like shave or put on perfume, getting dressed, and going to the bathroom. Our health care assistants also offer support to families, whether on IPU or in someone’s home.
Staff nurses Our staff nurses work within our Inpatient Unit, Hospice at Home team and Wellbeing Hub. As well as offering general support to a person who is unwell, and their friends and family, a nurse can also help a person to get their symptoms (such as any pain or discomfort) under control with the use of specialist medications and techniques.
Clinical Nurse Specialists Our Clinical Nurse Specialists work within our Community team, often visiting local people in their own homes to assess how they are doing, and how St Clare may be able to help. Our CNS’s also often work with other local professionals within the healthcare sector to offer expert palliative care advice and support.
Doctors Our doctors mainly work within our Inpatient Unit, where local people who have the most complex needs due to their illness will often stay. Doctors at St Clare can offer specialist advice on medication to help people manage their symptoms (such as any pain or discomfort). Like our Clinical Nurse Specialist team, doctors will often liaise with other local professionals to help ensure that local people get the best possible care.
Physiotherapists Our physiotherapists mainly work within our Wellbeing Hub, but will often support patients on our Inpatient Unit, or who are staying at home, too. Physiotherapy in palliative care helps people to manage things like pain and breathlessness, whilst also looking to maximise movement and independence. It can include things like light exercises and breathing techniques.
Occupational Therapists Our occupational therapists mainly work within our Wellbeing Hub, but will often support patients on our Inpatient Unit, or who are staying at home, too. Occupational therapy focuses on people’s daily living, and their goals for how they would like to live. As well as offering supportive equipment for people’s homes, occupational therapists aim to rehabilitate a person into living how they want to live; assessing both emotional and physical areas of a person’s life in order to help them achieve their highest potential.
Counsellors and Therapists Working within our Patient & Family Support team, our counsellors and therapists support people who are living with a life-limiting illness, and those people’s families and close friends. The team also support those who are experiencing bereavement. Working with people of all ages, our counsellors and therapists have specialist training to help address needs related to the end of life, and grief.
Social workers Our social workers work within our Patient & Family Support team, working with people who are living with a life-limiting illness, and those people’s families and close friends. Social workers will also often work with people who have recently lost someone close. In a Hospice, social work is about addressing both emotional and practical needs for a person. They can help with things like organising a Will, childcare and a person’s last wishes, as well as things like planning a funeral or closing someone’s accounts after they have died.
Chaplain Our chaplain works within our Patient & Family Support team, offering spiritual and pastoral care to people living with a life-limiting illness, and their families. Our chaplain will also often work with people who are experiencing bereavement. Chaplaincy at a Hospice supports individuals to work through any religious or spiritual needs they may have surrounding the end of life or losing a loved one. Our chaplain can also help to organise various religious and pastoral care from different faiths, such as any ceremonial or ritual practices that a person would like to happen at the end of life.
Our supporting teams
The life-changing, professional care we offer at St Clare Hospice is underpinned by our support teams, who keep our services open and our organisation running as effectively and economically as possible.
Facilities Our Facilities team take care of our Hospice building, making sure it is safe, clean and welcoming for all of our visitors.
Kitchen Our Kitchen team cook fresh meals for those who are staying on our Inpatient Unit, working with people to support their individual needs and desires. They will often go the extra mile to cook meals for our patients based on what they would like. They can also create delicious smoothies or pureed foods according to need. Our Kitchen team also run our staff cafeteria.
Volunteering Our Volunteering team take care of our 500+ volunteers who all lend a hand to help our Hospice. They work with other Hospice teams to discover where volunteers may be able to help; nurturing and harnessing the skills of our valued helping hands.
Community Engagement Our Community Engagement team look at how we can celebrate the power of our local community to create new, helpful services for all local people facing a life-limiting illness, the end of life and bereavement. From organising community-led support groups to offering training to local caregivers or Compassionate Neighbours; our Community Engagement team work towards a local, community approach to care and wellbeing.
Fundraising Our Fundraising team work with local people who wish to support St Clare Hospice by raising the vital funding that pays for our care. From organising fun events and challenges, to working with local businesses, or launching charity fundraising appeals; our Fundraising team help to generate the money we need to do what we do.
Retail Our Retail team run our eight charity shops, which you can find all throughout West Essex and East Hertfordshire. They make the most of local people’s donations, turning it into the vital funding that pays for our care.
Communications and Marketing Our Communications and Marketing team manage the St Clare Hospice brand, and help to spread the word of all that St Clare has to offer. From marketing our care services, to promoting initiatives for local people to support our Hospice; the Comms team share our message far and wide to help us reach more local people who need us.
Finance Our Finance team manage our incoming funds and outgoing expenses, taking care to ensure our organisation is running in an economical and cost-effective way so that we can continue developing our services to reach more local people who need us.
Human Resources Our HR team look after all our staff at St Clare Hospice, supporting each individual in the way they need throughout their professional working life.