Specialist palliative and bereavement support charity, Compton Care, is joining in with Hospice Care Week (9-15 October) to recognise the people who provide vital support for those in our community living with a life limiting condition.

The national campaign’s theme this year is #WeAreHospiceCare, and the week is a chance for everyone to celebrate all the incredible people that make up a hospice. Hospices in the UK support more than 300,000 people every year. From nurses, doctors and social workers to volunteers, cleaners and therapists, it’s a caring, compassionate expert team who are there 24/7 to support patients and their loved ones in their time of greatest need.

Compton Care has been providing high quality, accessible care to the people of Wolverhampton, the Black Country, South Staffs and east Shropshire for over forty years. Palliative and end of life care has advanced significantly in that time. As well as running its 18-bed Inpatient Unit, Compton also provides a wide range of services including a Virtual Ward that provides hospital-level care at home, a Care Home service that helps with future care planning for residents, and enhanced care services including psychological therapies, respite and complementary therapies that support patients and families through every aspect of their palliative care journey and beyond.

As a result of the support available, Compton Care helped 92% of its patients achieve their preferred place of care or death. Since its launch in April, Compton’s Virtual Ward has admitted 293 patients, helping to manage their significant, complex symptoms at home and avoid a lengthy stay in hospital.

Rachel Overfield, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Nursing at Compton Care, said:

Compton is proud of its modern hospice services and the enormous difference they make to our patients, service users and their families. Our dedicated teams help to provide a wider range of services than many people realise we offer – from our Community Services team that help care for people in their own homes, to our 24-hour, seven day a week multidisciplinary Rapid Response team, which helps avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, to our doctors, nurses and health care assistants who provide round-the-clock care on our Inpatient Unit. We also help people to live their best life possible with their illness, supporting some of our patients for many years to help manage their symptoms through our Living Well Centre and by offering specialised support, for example, supporting people with neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s and Motor Neurone disease.

There are often misconceptions about what hospice care is, so our staff and volunteers work hard to engage with people to breakdown the perceived barriers to encourage more people to contact us and take up the support that is available, which is provided at no cost to the patient. We value the dedication and commitment all our staff and volunteers show daily, enabling us to provide our expert care and support to thousands of people in the region every year.

Josh Williams, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Compton’s Care Home team, added:

Care Home residents are often the frailest in our community. In my role, I can help to put things in place that will positively impact the care they receive. I spend time with residents and their families to really capture what is important to them and do everything I can to make sure that their wishes at end of life are heard and respected.

The charity is always seeking volunteers who can give some of their spare time to take on wide ranging responsibilities that aid Compton in providing the best care possible to the local community. To find out more about volunteering and other roles, visit www.comptoncare.org.uk/join-us/

To contact Compton Care’s 24-hour Advice and Referral Line, please call 01902 774570.