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Caring for you

Support for the people important to you

Our family support team, as their name suggests, support the whole family.

They work with parents and guardians to support children when someone in the family has been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness.

They support adults in developing ways of coping, both for themselves and their children, by creating items such as videos, memory boxes and letters that will one day become cherished memories.

They will sometimes work directly with children too, as well as schools and other professionals who are involved in supporting the family.

We have a broad range of resources that help families prepare for loss or in their bereavement, including books and workbooks, and we can also signpost families to websites and other information sources.

When a patient is discharged from the hospice, for example, to enable them to be at home at the end of their life, we will often help with arrangements around their social care.

This is to ensure that their needs are considered and met and to support decision making in what are often difficult situations.

When a family situation is particularly complex and extra care and advice is needed to support them, we can be there to help.

Our support for carers

Here at Prospect Hospice we understand that, when someone is very ill, the whole family can be affected, often facing practical, financial and emotional difficulties.

Our team supports families and carers to build resilience and enable them to adapt to the changes they face.

Our family support team assistants provide a comprehensive carer support service that includes access to 1-1 support and regular carer events to enable our carers to socialise with others in similar situations with the opportunity of building supportive friendships and reducing isolation. We also deliver valuable information to help carers in their changing dynamic both at our events and through our carers course.

We focus on improving wellbeing and coping strategies for our carers and our events also include access to our complementary therapists.

Our family support team assistants work with families referred to Prospect Hospice, to maximise their income, focusing primarily on disability benefits and looking at other entitlements and grants. Signposting is available on legal issues such as wills and power of attorney.

 

Bereavement Support

Our care for the families and friends of our patients is available into bereavement for many of the families that we meet.

Prospect Hospice has experienced bereavement staff and trained volunteers who are able to provide a variety of support services including support by telephone or in person, either at home or at the hospice. We also hold bereavement support groups which can provide opportunities for meeting with other people who are bereaved, and for the sharing of experiences and supporting one another at this often difficult time.

Our team would be very happy to talk to you, at any point, about our bereavement support services, or coping with your loss and grief experiences. We can also provide you with further information about other sources of bereavement services both locally and nationally.

Further support is available from the following groups and organisations:

Cruse Bereavement Support is a national charity for bereaved people offering telephone, email and website support for children, young people and adults. You can access their helpline number for free on 0808 808 1677 (see their website for more details around opening hours) or chat online with a bereavement counsellor using their Cruse Chat Service.

Mind provides information on bereavement, where to go for support and suggestions for helping yourself and those around you through grief.

Macmillan Cancer Support offers free, confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones.

The Compassionate Friends supports bereaved parents and their families.

The Good Grief Trust is run by the bereaved for the bereaved.

Samaritans helpline 116123 24 hours a day for anyone for any reason.

Sue Ryder palliative, neurological and bereavement support

Resources for children and young people in bereavement

This is not an exhaustive list and we recommend that you take the time to review the resources prior to sharing them with your child to ensure suitability.

Hope Again is for young bereaved people living after loss.

Child Bereavement UK provides support for anyone who has lost a child and for children themselves who are bereaved. Their helpline number is 0800 028 8840.

Wiltshire-based charity Treehouse offers a range of resources for bereaved children. They also provide direct work and group work to bereaved children in the local area.

Winston’s Wish is the UK’s childhood bereavement charity. From parents to teachers, everyone and anyone who is supporting a grieving child can call their Freephone helpline on 08088020021 (Mon-Fri, 8am-8pm).

Childline offers a range of information for children and young people about a range of issues. Children can access direct telephone support on 0800 1111.

Riprap website offers young people support when a parent has cancer.

Young Minds website for young people and their parents offers advice about mental health and wellbeing. There is also a parent’s helpline number: 0808 802 5544.

We also have a list of books for children and young people that may helpful. Please call 01793816127 for more information on this.

Other links that may be useful include:

https://www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment  for those under state pension age who were married to or in a civil partnership with the person who has died.

https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments  (income related benefit)

https://www.gov.uk/when-someone-dies  practical time line of what to do when someone dies.

Safeguarding

Prospect Hospice is committed to promoting the wellbeing of all adults and children who use our services and ensuring that they live a life that is free from harm, abuse and neglect.

We work in an open and transparent way and encourage staff, volunteers, patients and families to raise any safeguarding concerns.

If you have any questions or require further information, please call 01793 816124.

Contact Us

For all family support enquiries and patient enquiries please telephone our single point of contact team (SPOC) on 01793 816124 (Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm).

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