In your home
The Oakhaven Community Nursing Team supports patients in their own home.
Supporting patients and families at home
Most of our patients are cared for at home under the care of our community nursing team, made up of Clinical Nurse Specialists and Community Registered Nurses, who work closely with GPs, district nurses and other agencies to ensure you get the best possible care. You will usually be under the care of a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), often with input from other members of the team.
Clinical Nurse Specialists are nurses who have additional training and expertise in giving advice and support to patients living with life-limiting illnesses and those in the last year of life.
You will have been referred to the Oakhaven team by your GP or consultant for one or more of the following reasons:
- Complex symptom management advice
- Psychological support for you and your family
- Planning for your future
Finding out about you
Once you have been referred to Oakhaven Hospice by your GP or other healthcare professional, one of Oakhaven’s community nurses or doctors will get in touch. They will arrange an appointment with you either at the Hospice or at home, where, together with your family, you can discuss your future care.
Your initial assessment
Your initial assessment will be carried out by one of our clinical nursing team or doctors, and may be where you live, at Lymington New Forest Hospital or as an outpatient at the hospice. They will assess your needs, agree a plan of care with you and may refer you to others, such as physiotherapists, complementary therapists, counsellors and spiritual support. This will provide you with the opportunity to explore, if you wish, how your illness is affecting your life and how we can help.
Supporting you: Oakhaven services
Oakhaven Hospice offers various services that you and your family can access for advice and support, depending on your specific needs. These services include our community nursing team, access to our Day Hospice, Inpatient Unit, a range of therapies, and patient and family support.
- Initial and ongoing assessment of your needs by an Oakhaven professional.
- Working with you and your loved ones to create an individual plan where you can express and record your wishes for the future.
- A telephone advice and support line 01590 670346, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is available both to you and to those who are caring for you, and can be called at any time of the day or night to ask for help and support.
- Referral to our Hospice Neighbours service, through which volunteers can visit and offer some companionship and help you at home.
- You and your family can use the Wellbeing services that are on offer at the Coates Centre.
- If you require urgent care, a home-visiting service will be available to you.
- Your carer will also be able to access our carer support services.
In addition, our social enterprise Oakhaven Care Ltd, provides a payable visiting and live-in home care service, where all profits support the running of Oakhaven Hospice.
Nursing and residential homes
We offer care to you wherever you may live, and for some, that will be in a residential or nursing home.
We will work closely with the nursing home staff, who will remain your primary caregivers and have overall responsibility for your needs. Oakhaven’s community nursing team will be there to support you when you or your family need us.
The specialist support that our teams offer may mean that when you become poorly, you can remain within your own home and not need to be hospitalised. This, of course, will depend on your wishes and Oakhaven will support you to remain in your preferred place of care. Our work is focused on ensuring that you are comfortable and free from pain as well as supporting your family and those who care for you during this difficult time.
Your private health insurance could help us!
If you have private health insurance, either that you’ve taken out for yourself or receive from an employer, we would like to ask for your help. Some insurance companies will make donations to organisations such as Oakhaven Hospice, who provide palliative care free of charge.
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