Refer yourself for some of our hospice services
You can refer yourself to St Richard’s Hospice for some our services by completing our online referral forms.
Only healthcare professionals can refer someone for care on our In-patient Unit. Please speak to the professional involved in your care about this.
Integrated Community Services
Our community services include Hospice at Home and Living Well.
Our Hospice at Home Team assesses and supports patients in their own homes or as outpatients at the hospice. They provide specialist symptom management and end-of-life care.
Find out more about Hospice at Home.
Our Living Well Team offers therapeutic outpatient sessions at the hospice, including symptom management, advance care planning, exercise and more.
Find out more about Living Well Services.
Please use our online referral form to refer yourself for these services.
You can also attend our Wellbeing Café at St Richard’s on a Wednesday between 10.30am and 3pm.
For support completing the form or to ask questions about our community services, call us on 01905 763963 (option 1).
Family Support or Bereavement Support South Worcestershire (BSSW)
Our Family Support Services offer emotional, practical, and spiritual support to patients already known to hospice palliative care services, and to the people important to them, including children.
BSSW offers bereavement support for adults and children who have experienced the traumatic or unexpected death of a loved one, for example through suicide or cardiac arrest.
Find out more about our Family Support and BSSW.
To refer yourself for either service, please:
- Review the criteria for referral below
- Complete our dedicated online referral form.
You can also call the Family Support and Bereavement Line, open Monday to Thursday, 10am to 2pm on 01905 763963 (option 1), for advice.
Click to view Family Support and Bereavement Support South Worcestershire referral criteria
Bereavement Support South Worcestershire offers support to grieving adults between three months and three years following a bereavement.
For St Richard’s Hospice Bereavement Service, support can be offered at any point in a person’s grief journey.
For both services, people aged under 18 can be referred at any stage following their bereavement. Referrals can be made by a parent or guardian, or professional.
Our staff are trained to work therapeutically in pre and post bereavement care. The safety and wellbeing of each individual is paramount. Therefore, it is essential that we work within our skillset and competence as professionals. This safeguards both individuals and professionals.
We are:
- unlikely to support individuals who are actively suicidal, self-harming, or at high risk.
- unlikely to be able to offer support if another external agency is providing therapeutic support, e.g. Mental health
- unlikely to support if clients are actively using substances to cope/manage. This needs to be under control and well managed before we can accept the referral.
- St Richard’s Hospice and Bereavement Support South Worcestershire are unlikely to offer urgent pre and post bereavement support.
If we are not able to offer support we will signpost individuals to other services so they can access the right support at the right time.
We will:
- consider each individual. If it is determined that an individual does not meet the criteria for our service we will we will look at alternative options including signposting, and may on occasion offer a brief intervention if appropriate.
- signpost individuals and health professionals to specialist services, both local and national.
- offer training in pre-and-post bereavement support for external staff by the St Richard’s Learning Team
In-patient Unit (IPU)
Only healthcare professionals can refer a person for care on our In-patient Unit. Please speak to the professional involved in your care.
Find out more about our In-patient Unit.
Frequently asked questions
Who do we care for?
We offer free care to adults with an illness that cannot be cured, improving their quality of life from diagnosis, during treatment, and to their last days. We also support family members, and bereaved people.
Most patients will have advanced, progressive disease, where the focus of care will have changed from curative to palliative and prognosis is limited. Some patients with complex needs are referred earlier in their disease journey.
When is a patient referral appropriate?
Not everyone with an illness that cannot be cured will need specialist palliative care or hospice services. A demonstrable need for specialist palliative care must be established.
Referral is appropriate where:
- Pain or other symptoms are difficult to control despite intervention
- It is difficult to meet the psychological, social and spiritual needs of the patient, family or significant others
- Care in the last days of life where additional support is required
The hospice In-patient Unit is not able to provide rehabilitation facilities, planned respite or long-term care.
Where do we care?
All our services are available free of charge to people registered with a South Worcestershire GP (for example in Worcester, Droitwich, Pershore, Evesham, Malvern, Tewkesbury, Broadway, Martley and surrounding areas.)
The St Richard’s In-patient Unit cares for people across Worcestershire including those living in the Wyre Forest, Kidderminster, Redditch and Bromsgrove areas.
Do I have to pay for your services?
No, all our care is available free of charge thanks to the generosity of our donors and supporters who fund the majority of our services.