• My Patient’s Stay

My Patient’s Stay

My Stay at the Hospice

Following a patient’s referral by a Healthcare professional involved in their care, our Clinical team will review and assess the patient’s current needs and requirements and if appropriate, they will be added to our waiting list.

When a bed becomes available, a member of the senior nursing staff will contact your patient to arrange admission. The patient may be able to make their own way to the hospice or we may need to arrange transport to the hospice via ambulance.

On admission, your patient will be allocated a nursing team and consultant who will assess and plan individual person centred care in collaboration with them and their family and in conjunction with the wider multidisciplinary team.

Part of these admission discussions may include the patient’s thoughts and hopes for the future including – if appropriate for them – discharge. The discharge planning process can be quite complicated so we try to start this process as early as possible. On discharge, the patient will be made aware of all the ongoing care arrangements they have and any follow up appointments that have been made for them. We will discharge the patient with at least a week’s supply of medication and clear instructions regarding the medications and how to take them.

The Inpatient Unit is not a long term place of care.

For more information, please take a look at our Information Booklet.

Visitor Guidelines during COVID-19 Pandemic

Updated 8th January 2021

Visitor rules for St. Andrew’s for patients who are not known to be (or suspected of being) COVID positive are as follows (please note that should any patients test positive for COVID 19, different visitor guidelines will apply):

  1. All patients will be allowed twice weekly visits, at agreed times, by 1 designated visitor, or 2 if from the same household.
  2. These twice weekly visits will be outside if possible, either the patient and visitors sit outside, or they go for a walk or the visitor sits outside the patient’s room at the patio doors and the patient remains inside the room.
  3. Visiting for each patient will be reviewed daily, and increased visiting may be appropriate if there is a change in the patient’s clinical condition. This will be decided between the nurse in charge and the appropriate doctor and communicated to patients and visitors on an individual basis.
  4. As part of their daily communication with the patients’ designated visitor(s), the Nurse in Charge will agree which of the available timeslots (14:00-15:45 or 16:15-18:00) is suitable for patients’ loved ones to visit.
  5. Unfortunately at this time we cannot allow visitors to stay overnight in the Hospice.
  6. Visitors who are confirmed as being COVID positive (or who have symptoms of COVID or any other infectious illness) should not visit the Hospice.(See Questionnaire at Appendix A)
  7. To protect our staff, patients and visitors, the following measures are in place:
    1. On the day a visitor is planning to visit the hospice, they will receive a telephone call from the hospice prior to their visit to ask a number of questions. These questions are detailed on the Appendix to these guidelines and are designed to ensure everyone’s safety.
    2. When coming in to the hospice, all visitors are asked to report to the Main Reception, either in person or via the intercom and our reception staff will sign them in and remind them to sanitise their hands and don a mask. Reception staff will provide guidance on accessing the patient’s room which may be via the external doors.
    3. All visitors are asked to wear a face mask for the duration of the visit and sanitise their hands regularly during the visit and also on leaving the hospice. N.B If visitors have not been shown how to sanitise their hands, or told what PPE to wear, they should ask the nursing staff to talk them through this.
    4. The maximum number of visitors in any patient’s room at one time is 2.
    5. Visitors are required to practice social distancing from staff and other visitors who are not in their household and will be asked to leave a patient’s room when requested to allow staff to enter to provide or monitor care.

Thank you for your support and cooperation.

Visitors who have any concerns, should ask to speak to the Nurse in Charge.

Bruce High

Dr Kerry McWilliams

08/01/2021

Appendix A

St. Andrew’s Hospice
Visitor COVID 19 Screening Questionnaire

Date  
Visitor Name  
Visiting  

Please complete the information below

 WITHIN THE LAST 10 DAYS:

1 HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED A NEW COUGH? Y / N
2 HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED NEW SHORTNESS OF BREATH?       Y / N
3 HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED A NEW SORE THROAT, LOSS OF TASTE OR SMELL? Y / N
4 HAVE YOU HAD A HIGH OR LOW TEMPERATURE OR THE SENSE OF HAVING A FEVER?       Y / N
5 HAVE YOU HAD CLOSE CONTACT WITH SOMEONE WHO IS SUSPECTED OR CONFIRMED COVID-19?

(NB: CLOSE CONTACT IS DEFINED AS WITHIN 2M FOR MORE THAN 10 CONSECUTIVE MINUTES)?    

 Y / N
6 DO YOU HAVE ANY HOUSEHOLD MEMBER WHO IS SYMPTOMATIC OF COVID OR IS AWAITING A COVID TEST RESULT? Y / N
7 HAVE YOU BEEN TOLD TO ISOLATE? Y / N

If the answer to any of these questions is YES, the person should not visit.


Person Completing Form:

Name  
Signed  
Date