While it is true that some people choose to spend their final days being looked after by our incredible In-Patient team, many of our patients come to stay to help get their symptoms under control before going home again. 

Put simply, Hospice care is not what most people think, as discovered by cancer patient Diana Burt when she spent a week’s stay with us. 

Diana was transferred to us straight from hospital, where she had spent a week, having originally been taken to A&E by her concerned husband Reggie.  

Like many, Diana had at first found the idea of the Hospice extremely frightening until it was explained to her by one of our specialist nurses how our expert care could help ease some of the extreme pain she had been experiencing because of her illness. 

Symptom management is a vital part of the holistic approach we take to palliative care, helping to improve a patient’s quality of life by helping reduce their pain and other distressing symptoms.    

Diana, 66, said: “At the first mention of the word ‘hospice’ I felt abject fear and rejection of the idea to be perfectly honest. To me it meant I must be on my last legs and that really scared me.  

“But she took the time to explain to me exactly what it meant and the difference it could make. At that point, I’d never been free of pain, whether it be a dull ache or completely doubled over, and I also wasn’t eating to the extent I’d lost so much weight that I was withering away.” 

Recalling the moment she was wheeled into our In-Patient Unit, Diana said: “Coming through the front door I felt something come over me. It was so calm and quiet and when I saw the room with the sun shining and the lovely courtyard right outside I was amazed. I’d been expecting a slight upgrade from the hospital but it couldn’t have been more different. It felt like home.”  

Our In-Patient Unit is designed to aid comfort, support independence and help patients and visitors feel at home. It is a place where every individual is treated with dignity and respect at all times. 

Reggie said: “For me, it was exactly where Diana needed to be. It was such a relief to be able to leave her in the evening knowing that she was being so well looked after and I wasn’t going to get a phone call in the middle of the night from her upset and crying for me to come and bring her home.  

“She’d had no quality of life for months, she was just existing and not living, so it felt like a miracle to see how much she improved in just a week. And that was purely down to the constant care and attention she was receiving.” 

With her pain under control, Diana was able to start eating again and enjoy the wonderful home cooked meals and snacks prepared by our catering team. She also took part in online physiotherapy sessions with our Living Well team to help rebuild her strength, and we were able to help organise a wheelchair for her to take home so she could start enjoying trips to her local garden centre again, as well as a specialist bed to make her more comfortable at night.   

Diana said: “I’ve felt so lonely all the way through my illness. I was constantly worrying about how much time I had left and would I see my grandchildren grow up. That was where my head was going.  

“But, the Hospice focuses on quality of life rather than quantity of life and you feel so safe knowing you’re going to be taken care of. I was excited about going home but at the same time anxious of leaving this cocoon where you feel like you’re wrapped up in a big hug. 

“I don’t know what the future holds, life can be unpredictable but I don’t have as much fear now. I feel hopeful for the future knowing that there is the safety net of the Hospice and there will always be somebody to help me. We’re not facing it alone anymore.”