What is hospice at home and how can I access it?

Hospice-at-home services provide care and support to those with life-limiting conditions within their home. These services aim to enhance the quality of life whilst supporting carers and families, creating a hospice-type environment in a person's home. Hospice-at-home teams are made up of various health professionals with specialist knowledge and skills to provide the correct equipment and create the optimum care plan for each unique client.

These teams usually have:

• Nurses - assess needs and create detailed care plans. Nurses can provide direct care including giving medications, replacing dressings or monitoring vitals. Some advanced Nurses can also independently review symptoms and prescribe medications or treatments.
• Support Workers (sometimes called ‘Carers’) - can help with daily physical needs such as eating, washing, dressing, toileting and undertaking basic assessments to help keep people clean, fed and comfortable.
• Therapists - These are highly specialist professionals who can help with a specific need, these teams can be made up of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, counsellors and complementary therapists.
• Doctors - Usually act as the senior responsible clinician and offer advice, support and guidance to the team, they also help with complex symptoms and medical needs.

Hospices usually offer help with well-being and mental health even within the home, this can be with talking therapies or listening services, allowing people to talk about their experiences, worries or expectations. Some also offer complementary therapies, to help with relaxation, these services can include massage, reflexology, aromatherapy or reiki. Wellbeing services may also have trained professionals able to support people's spiritual and religious needs.

The broader support team can assist with home adaptations and ordering necessary equipment such as a standing aid, washing equipment or a hospital bed to make day-to-day life easier. The team can also access other helpful services such as home carers, social services, and volunteer agencies.

Hospice-at-home aims to help people stay safe and comfortable in their homes for their end-of-life care. Their services enhance and complement the care given by the family and carers to support a good end-of-life experience.

Services are usually accessed by a referral from a medical team, this could be a GP, hospital doctor or nursing team. Some hospices accept self-referrals but may want to contact a person’s medical team to get more information.