St Christopher's Hospice
Photo by Stephen Craven
| St Christopher's Hospice | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | South London, England, United Kingdom |
| Organisation | |
| Type | End Of Life Care |
| History | |
| Opened | 1967 |
| Links | |
| Website | www.stchristophers.org.uk |
| Lists | Hospitals in England |
St Christopher’s Hospice was founded by Dame Cicely Saunders in 1967 and is widely regarded as the first modern hospice. It now provides palliative care of the highest quality care to over 2,500 dying individuals each year on four inpatient wards at the hospice in Sydenham, south east London and in people’s own homes across south east London.
Dame Cicely‘s vision and work transformed the care of the dying and the practice of medicine. The ongoing impact of St Christopher’s clinical innovations and extensive programmes of education and research improve care for dying people nationally and internationally and influence standards of healthcare throughout the world.
The St Christopher’s Group comprises St Christopher’s Hospice in Sydenham and St Christopher's Bromley in Orpington. Both care for adults from the age of 18 years upwards.
St Christopher’s Hospice offers:
- 48 beds on four wards providing in-patient medical and nursing care led by consultants in palliative medicine and experienced and specially qualified nurses
- Home Care led by clinical nurse specialists in teams focused on each of the five local authorities and Clinical Commissioning Group areas in south east London - Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark
- The Anniversary Centre offers a ‘social hub’ for patients and families, and includes a café with internet access and a programme of social events which is also open to the general public
- Extensive planned day care and a range of supportive care services, including creative and complementary therapies and delivered in a variety of settings
- Inpatient and home care multi-professional teams that include social workers, chaplain and spiritual care lead, welfare advisors, psychiatrists, physiotherapists, occupational therapist, complementary and creative therapists, bereavement service volunteers and others
- A specialist service for all bereaved children and their families. St Christopher’s Candle Project offers individual and group support, a national telephone advice line, consultancy and training
- Major programmes of education and research including accredited programmes at masters, degree and diploma levels.
In 2008 Harris HospisCare merged with St Christopher’s. In recognition of the signification of the Bromley-wide services based at Caritas House, in 2013 Harris HospisCare was renamed St Christopher's Bromley.
St Christopher's Bromley aims to improve the quality of life of its patients through the provision of specialist palliative care, by supporting their families and carers and by supporting and educating fellow healthcare professionals.
St Christopher's Bromley offers:
- Home Care led by clinical nurse specialists and medical consultants focused on the Bromley catchment area. The team also includes a social worker, chaplain, welfare advisor, complementary and creative therapists, bereavement service volunteers and others.
- Extensive planned day care and a range of supportive care services, including creative and complementary therapies and delivered in a variety of settings
- A specialist and comprehensive lymphoedema service to support patients with lymphoedema across Bromley