IRHH is extending patient services
 Robert Breakwell, IRHH Chief Executive Sue Varvel, IRHH Director of Nursing & Grove House Director of Patient Services Mark Lister Grove House Chief Executive |
As part of our plans to provide hospice at home care to more people, we are integrating our patient services with Grove House Hospice in St Albans to enable more terminally ill patients to have the choice to die at home.
The trustees of both organisations agreed unanimously to combine nursing services, whilst retaining our own charity's identity, in a move which builds on three previous years of close partnership working. The collaboration has already led to the IRHH model of 24-hour hospice at home nursing care being adopted in St Albans and Harpenden, where Grove House offers day care and outpatient hospice facilities. As well as providing greater choice for more patients, the integration will mean that more people affected by terminal illness will have access to counselling following diagnosis and bereavement.
IRHH Chief Executive Robert Breakwell said: "We know that our hospice at home service, offering 24-hour care every day of the year, is greatly valued by our patients and their families throughout the Chilterns. We want to offer better care to more people by bringing that personal and specialist service to as many people as we can."
Combining services puts both charities in a stronger position to negotiate with Primary Care Trusts for increased funding. Currently just 12% of IRHH funds come from the NHS. Retaining our own identity as individual charities means each organisation continues to benefit from the backing of their dedicated volunteers and loyal supporters.
18th May 2010
