Search is on for staff to help expand care

A RECRUITMENT drive is underway for a new East Cheshire Hospice @Home service being launched in August/ September.

The hospice is inviting applications for 10 vacancies – five trained nurses and five health care assistants – as part of a move to further improve end-of-life care in Cheshire East.

The new service will enable the hospice to help far more patients each year.

The number will increase from around 500 currently to 750, with support for families and carers rising from 2,500 to 4,000.

East Cheshire Hospice has worked closely with other health care providers to develop an integrated service designed to meet the needs of the local community.

Donations have already been made towards funding.

The hospice identified a gap in the current system and will have the ability to respond rapidly in a timely manner out of hours when services are more stretched.

East Cheshire Hospice @Home will be available from 6.30pm to 8am weekdays and throughout the weekend, with a response time of an hour for urgent needs following a referral from a health care professional.

No other care agency can offer this kind of rapid response locally.

The new service is managed by experienced advanced nurse practitioner Sarah Dale, from East Cheshire Hospice.

She said: “District nurses do an excellent job providing vital care with limited time and resources and, in full collaboration with them, we aim to enhance that service out in the community.

“The focus will be on supporting the individual needs, choices and preferences of patients in relation to palliative care.

“We’ll provide handson medical care, psychological support, symptom management, end-of-life care and care after death.

“We’ll cover the two thirds of the week when there isn’t currently such support for those who need to access the service quickly.

“We’ll help co-ordinate care, ease the burden and hopefully make a real difference.”

Sarah researched other hospice schemes to help devise a bespoke East Cheshire Hospice model.

“We’re now actively looking for fully qualified staff who must have an interest in palliative and community care and be willing to work out of hours which might, for instance, suit someone with children.

“They’ll be based at the hospice and join a highly professional team working as part of the hospice family.”

For more details email sdale@echospice.org.uk