Caring, Compassionate And Committed
St Catherine’s Hospice is an independent charity which is here to help everyone in Chorley, Preston and South Ribble have quality of life, to the end of life
Through specialised palliative and end-of-life care at the hospice and where people live, the hospice works with patients and families to help them achieve what is important to them, in the time they have.
Care is personalised to each individual and their circumstances, and aims to help people live in comfort, and with dignity, independence and choice.
They work to meet the physical, emotional and practical needs of those affected by conditions like cancer, motor neurone disease and heart failure, supporting patients and their loved ones from diagnosis through bereavement.
The hospice values are Caring, Compassionate and Committed.
The 19-bed inpatient unit at the hospice in Lostock Hall provides the most intensive round the clock care. Care is personalised to meet the specific needs of each individual and their family. Together they work to manage pain and other complex symptoms – with the aim of helping people have the best possible quality of life whilst avoiding the need for hospital admission.
Many of the patients are discharged home once their symptoms are better managed, where they may continue to receive care from the Clinical Nurse Specialists. Some patients spend their final days at St Catherine’s, and the aim is to make them as comfortable as possible whilst also supporting their loved ones.
The Clinical Nurse Specialist team visit people where they live across Chorley, Preston and South Ribble, including nursing homes and care homes. They provide assessment, treatment and support, and work together with GPs, district nurses and other health and social care professionals to ensure care is co-ordinated. The support they offer at the end of life is invaluable to people who would prefer to die in their usual place of residence, rather than in a hospital or hospice.
The Support Team is made up of qualified social workers who work with patients and their loved ones on the inpatient unit and in the community, as well the general public.
They ensure patients’ and families’ social, practical, spiritual and emotional needs are met. They provide counselling including bereavement counselling, as well as support drop-in sessions for the whole community such as those for carers and for those who are bereaved.
The Support Team also manages a volunteer-led befriending service which provides a lifeline for carers and those who are socially isolated.
St Catherine’s depends on the generosity and efforts of supporters to raise £4m of the charity’s annual £5.8m running costs, with £1.8m provided by the NHS.
Funds are raised in a variety of ways including: donations in wills, a weekly lottery, 19 charity shops and ecommerce platforms. Events such as the Moonlight and Memories Walk and the Santa Dash, remembrance opportunities such as Light Up A Life and Yellow Ribbon dedications, donations and fundraising challenges organised by supporters. As well as through The Mill Café and Shop, which are set in the welcoming grounds of St Catherine’s Park and operate as a social enterprise with profits to the hospice.