‘Most of St Gemma’s patients never set foot in the Hospice building’
St Gemma’s is not just a building; most of our patients are supported in the place they want to stay – often their own homes. Palliative care at home in Leeds is provided by local hospices. In the last year, the St Gemma’s community team made 4,438 visits to patients in their homes across the Leeds community.
St Gemma’s Community Nurse, Eileen Clark explains: “Most people associate hospice care with the hospice building itself. But the reality is that most St Gemma’s patients choose to be cared for in their own homes – and may never set foot in the Hospice building.
“Most people want to stay at home for as long as they can, so the St Gemma’s community team works with the patient, their family and other health professionals, such as district nurses and GPs, to help make this happen. We provide information about care provision, advice and support on a whole range of things, such as medication, pain relief, helping unpleasant symptoms or emotional support – whatever people need to help them stay as well as possible, at home, for as long as possible.
“The St Gemma’s community team is made up of highly trained specialist nurses, supported by doctors, therapists and the wider Hospice team. So patients and their families benefit from many of the Hospice’s services delivered to them in the comfort of their own familiar surroundings.”
One family member told us: “My Dad was cared for at home by the lovely nurse Lizzie. It was lovely to have someone so nice and caring for us to ring and speak to when needed, she always went the extra mile to get him extra treatment like radiotherapy and blood transfusion… will always be very thankful for the lovely care he received by such lovely people.”
This is what 2018/19 looked like for the St Gemma’s Community Team:
To find out more about palliative care in the community in Leeds and the services our team offers, visit www.st-gemma.co.uk/community-team