Day Services

 

“I was apprehensive at first but once I met the staff and helpers I got the feeling I was (with) people who genuinely cared and understood my problem and wanted to help me. I was very satisfied and was impressed with my first visit.” - patient survey, 2010

 

St Helena Hospice operates two Day Services Centres, at the Joan Tomkins Centre in Colchester and the Tendring Centre in Clacton, that benefit a large number of people in the surrounding areas.  The Centres are the bases for highly skilled teams offering specialist information, interventions, support and advice to people diagnosed with a life- threatening illness as well as working with their family, friends and carers.

The aim of the team is to work with you and your family to make a plan to enable you to live your life as normally as possible, and to pre-empt any problems that may be approaching.  The support is open-ended and agreed between you and your keyworker, whether they are a nurse, social worker, counsellor or any of the other specialists in the team.  The Day Services teams work alongside their colleagues in the Community and Inpatient Unit to help you make the most of your life at any stage of your condition.

So you may ask, what do patients actually do when they attend our Day Centres? The following are just some of the activities patients enjoy: massage, chiropody, fatigue management, reflexology, manicure, hairdressing, gardening, Jacuzzi, trips out and just talking with friends and colleagues.

Most people who visit our Day Service Centres gain immense support from spending time with others who are living in similar circumstances.  Many people attend on a regular day each week, others on a more flexible basis. 

“First impression was of calmness and the relaxed atmosphere, and the way I was introduced to other patients and staff and talked through the purpose of my referral” - patient survey, 2010