County Wexford Hospice Homecare – how it works

County Wexford Hospice Homecare was established in 1991 by a local voluntary committee who appointed the first specialist palliative care nurse to respond to the needs of the community.

The aim of the service is to enhance the care of terminally ill patients in the home and community and to support and assist their families and professional carers.

The majority of the patients who receive treatment have been diagnosed with cancer but the service is also available to other terminally ill patients with conditions such as motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis.

The service operates 9am-5pm, seven days a week. At present there is a clinical nurse manager and seven clinical nurse specialists providing the service.

ROLE OF PALLIATIVE CARE NURSES

The nurses assess and manage pain and other symptoms;

They support the patient and their families; The nurses also help the bereaved families after the death of a patient;

They liaise with other health professionals (GPs, PHNs, Hosp. Consultants, Nursing Homes, Irish Cancer Society etc);

They act as advocate for patients and their fa mi lie; They educate patients, families, other health professionals in the Community, Nursing homes and community hospitals;

They also have to keep records and audit all activity for the national database.

County Wexford Hospice Homecare had 316 referrals in 2016, this compared with 287 in 2014. The service carried out 4,801 home visits in 2016 to patients’ homes, nursing homes, district hospitals, etc.

In 2016 there were 32 discharges, 249 deaths (217 cancer-related and 32 non-cancer) and 245 bereavement visits.

Wexford hospice homecare provides specialist palliative nursing care to terminally ill patients and their families, as far as possible in their own homes.

This service is provided to people throughout County Wexford.