Palliative care

Naomi House provides short break respite care, emergency and end of life care to Life-Limited/Life-Threatened children and young adults who meet our referral criteria.

Their Care Team is made up of:

• Qualified nurses
• Experienced carers
• Play/activity team
• Family support team (including counsellors)
• Our practice education team
• Paediatric Palliative Care Consultant working here part-time, as well as a team of doctors who are on-call 24/7 and visit the hospice on a daily basis
• Physiotherapist working  on a sessional basis offering hydrotherapy to children and young adults and advice and support to staff
• Our wonderful experienced care volunteers

They provide in-house activities and opportunities for the children and young adults to experience new things - everything from arts & crafts, cooking, filming, sports activities, themed days/weeks, external visitors (racing cars, Paralympians, petting dogs, beat boxing) to external visits, like trips to the zoo, the beach, kite flying, the cinema, local fetes, country parks, sports events or music events/concerts. We also have a superb hydrotherapy pool and sensory room.

They are able to care for children and young adults with complex health needs, including sensory needs, seizure management, tracheostomy care, invasive and non-invasive ventilatory support.

They have family accommodation for families staying with children at Naomi House, but they do not offer this facility for Jacksplace families, as this is an adult hospice where independence is encouraged.

They always provide family accommodation at either hospice when children/young adults are at end of life.

Families with children who have a life-limiting or life-threatening condition access our services for a number of reasons:

• To gain respite from the day-to-day care needs of the child, by spending time with them at the hospice, enjoying being a family altogether whilst others attend to nursing and care needs
• To enjoy time with siblings doing activities that may not be possible when all the family are together
• To meet other families in similar circumstances to share experiences and gain mutual support
• To enjoy time and support in making memories for the future
• To access our Family Support services for some additional support at those particularly difficult times

We accept referrals from family members and professionals working with children and young adults who have a life-limiting or life-threatening condition.

Our medical criteria is that children accessing Naomi House are not expected to live to 18 years of age.  For young people accessing Jacksplace, they are not expected to live beyond 35 years of age.

Our services are provided in-house at Naomi House and Jacksplace Children and Young Adults Hospices in Sutton Scotney (opens new window). The service is open 24/7, 365 days/year.

In the Swindon area, we are working in partnership with the Jessie May Trust offering community support to families in their own homes.

Referrals can be made by family members or by professionals who are involved in the child or young person's care.  Please telephone the hospice team on 01962 760555 to discuss making a referral.

Having discussed the referral with the child's parents, or for Jacksplace with the young person themselves, we will contact the medical team involved in their care for further information, before reviewing the referral at our monthly Clinical Committee to assess according to our medical criteria.

Naomi House is run for children and young people aged 0-18. After 18, young people can access Jacksplace (opens new window), so there is no need to 'transition' to a new service.

Families moving into the county will either find out about us from the healthcare professionals they are involved with on a day-to-day basis, or (hopefully) from their local hospital, especially if they are at the stage of withdrawal of active treatment and/or looking at end of life care. If families are already receiving care from a children's hospice elsewhere, then that hospice will signpost them to us.  If one of our families is moving areas we would let them know about their closest children's hospice and ask them if they would like us to make contact/ referral and share information.

Helen & Douglas House provides specialist hospice care for children and young adults who are seriously and terminally ill. A range of support is available for the wider family (parents/carers and siblings) during the young person's illness and in bereavement.

They shape the care they offer around the needs of each individual, and aim to provide continuity, quality and safety in an environment appropriate to the young people and families we look after.

They provide medically-supported respite at the hospice and seek to enable a quality of life in line with individuals' capabilities and desires. We also offer specialist care for complex and developing conditions, including at end of life.

As well as providing medical and clinical services, they offer access to physiotherapy, music, occupational and complementary therapies, and to education during term time. Staff are also available to support individuals' spiritual and emotional wellbeing, as part of a holistic approach to care.

Our expertise, ethos and environment are dedicated to providing condition and age appropriate care and enabling as good a quality of life as possible.

Given the specific and tailored nature of care that we provide, we welcome enquiries from families (and professionals) to discuss specific needs and to explore care options with you. We also welcome families, who are eligible for care here, to visit to experience the facilities first-hand and to discuss how we might best be able to support them.

Key outcomes include:

• Effective management of symptoms and control of pain
• Enablement of a quality of life and achievement of personal goals in line with young people's capabilities and desires
• Confidence and continuity in care planning and management, including towards and at end-of-life
• Clinical and personal safety
• Continuity of education and personalised learning in line with the Oxfordshire Hospital School service

Children and young adults with complex and terminal illness are able to access our services, in line with the hospice's needs-based referral and assessment criteria (opens new window).

Anyone can make a referral (with the person's permission). Referrals are evaluated using the hospice's assessment criteria, and contacts are made with the key health professionals. Referrals can be made by phone, email, or in writing.

Referrals Team, Helen & Douglas House, 14A Magdalen Road, Oxford OX4 1RW

Telephone 01865 794749; email referrals@helenanddouglas.org.uk (opens new window)

24/7 in-patient services are provided at the hospice in Oxford. Patient care may also be available in a family's local area through a specialist outreach team working in collaboration with other local professionals.

Family and bereavement support may be provided in a range of locations including families' homes and Oxford.

Helen & Douglas House works in active collaboration with health and other service providers in community and hospital settings - around the needs of individual patients and in improving the care we provide.

At an individual patient level, assessments, plans and reviews are carried out with reference to key professionals around the young person. Specialist palliative care advice is provided by staff from Helen & Douglas House to professional and families to support care in different settings - according to their needs and preferences.