I was mainly worried about whether I would fit in and make myself understood. As it turned out my fears were groundless and everyone was friendly and helpful.Day care patient

All quotations are used with permission.

The needs of each person are different – and so, to be most effective, our treatment for each person is closely tailored to those needs.

Our supportive outpatient services are both physical and psychological, looking as much as possible at the broader needs of the person. Patients, carers and family members who are experiencing difficulty coping with a potentially progressive life-limiting illness can access a wide variety of services which are available at each of our three sites, though the specific services available vary from site to site.

Where can you access supportive outpatient services?

The supportive outpatient service operates at St Ann’s Hospice in Little Hulton, the Neil Cliffe Centre and St Ann’s Hospice in Heald Green. At Heald Green the range of services available is less comprehensive.

Supportive outpatients’ services are available to patient’s carers and their families.

We never look at part of a person’s needs in isolation – we always consider the ‘whole needs of the whole person’. We also provide support for families and carers, who may also need help and have needs that can be overlooked.

Each patient has an initial assessment with their key worker. The role of the key worker is to help coordinate activities and to act as a point of contact and to continually review the patient’s progress. The activities and services offered to each patient are tailored to the person’s specific needs and are designed to help people cope better with their unique situation.

The list of our services below is an example only as services vary from site to site. They include:

• anxiety/relaxation skills.
• bereavement counselling.
• breathlessness clinic.
• body Image interventions including “Head start”.
• complementary therapies including aromatherapy, reflexology, reiki and Indian head massage. Acupuncture and homeopathy is available at the Neil Cliffe Centre.
• counselling.
• dietetics.
• fatigue management.
• information and advice.
• life after cancer group (survivorship) at the Neil Cliffe Centre.
• lymphoedema clinics.
• occupational therapy.
• physiotherapy.
• psychological adjustment and coping therapies.
• social worker service.
• spiritual support.
• medical outpatient clinics (a hospice referral form must be completed by a general practitioner, hospital medical team or specialist palliative care team).

How do you access the services?

Access may be at any time – the point of diagnosis, during treatment, following treatment, if the disease recurs or at any other key point in the patient’s illness.

The sooner someone is referred to us, the sooner we will be able to help. Referral can be made by any health and social care professional over the telephone or by completion of a hospice referral form. If you prefer to access the service yourself, simply contact us by telephone or in person.