There is a misconception that hospices are only about death. Dr Kershaw’s Hospice is a place where people die, but it is also a place where people create precious memories.
We provide specialist end-of-life and palliative care for adults in the Oldham area. We pride ourselves on a peaceful and homely environment and our patients are at the heart of everything we do.
We’ve worked to adapt our services so that we’re at the forefront of care and can provide patients with real choices in how and where they’re treated.
However, we were limited in what we could offer. Our old In-Patient Unit was cramped; there wasn’t much privacy. If we were at full capacity, we had to have mixed-sex wards. The building was tired and needed renovation. We wanted to be able to provide compassionate, dignified care for people with life-limiting illnesses in a modern environment.
Making a vision a reality
We applied for a grant from the Wolfson Foundation’s funding for hospices in 2019 and were awarded £80,000. This enabled us to take a vision that we’d been striving towards for three decades and make it happen.
We broke ground in March 2019 and planned to complete by September 2020. However, we had to pause building for 34 days due to Covid-19 and lockdowns.
We received a second grant of £60,000 from Wolfson’s Covid-19 Support Fund in 2020. We had a moment when we were five months behind, the bills were going up, and we wondered if we were going to have to make cutbacks that would impact patient care. But thankfully, we didn’t have to compromise. The second piece of funding for the Hospice helped us when we really needed it.
New In-Patient Unit
We finally opened our new In-Patient Unit in March 2021.
We have eight single rooms and two twin rooms. All the rooms have ensuites, smart TVs, comfortable furnishings and accessible patio areas which overlook our gardens. When you’re not well, being able to have some outside space is so important.
The new In-Patient Unit is a big step forward for us, not just aesthetically, but in terms of technology and how we support our clinical team. There is now piped oxygen in every room, rather than concentrated oxygen equipment, which is big, heavy, noisy and produces a lot of heat. We have a new central nursing station and staff can deliver better care because everything is in the patients’ rooms.
We also added a new roof to the existing building and installed solar panels, making the Hospice more energy efficient and reducing running costs.
The Gardens at Dr Kershaw’s
Supporting families
When you’re caring for someone at the end of their life, their loved ones are already starting the grieving process. So we believe we also need to care for families, when they need support the most.
Our In-Patient Unit has a family lounge which we didn’t have before. Families can take a break, have a meal together, and socialise with other families and patients if they want to. We also have two relatives’ rooms, so if someone wants a rest or to stay the night, they can take the time they need.
The Family Lounge at Dr Kershaw’s
The little things we can do
A lot of our patients compare the In-Patient Unit to a posh hotel!
It’s about the little things we can do. A few months ago, a gentleman in his eighties came to us for respite care. Our team organised a bubble bath with his favourite classical music playing and a glass of Bailey’s. Those small touches are so important.
The atmosphere of the ward is completely different too. It has such a calm feel.
“I was apprehensive about going to a new facility, but when I arrived at Dr Kershaw’s I soon realised there was no need to be. The facilities are fantastic, my room was comfortable, and it felt homely, something that means a lot when you’re away from home. The room was spacious and very modern, two members of my family were allowed to visit me and were made to feel at home also. The care I received whilst at the Hospice was second to none, I have never known care like it, and nothing was too much trouble for the staff.”
Michael O’Connor, one of the first patients admitted to Dr Kershaw’s In-Patient Unit
Home from home environment
Our Hospice supports the whole community of Oldham, which is an underprivileged area. If you do not have the home environment or support system to help you with a life-limiting illness or end-of-life scenario, that’s when our In-Patient Unit steps in.
Now our ward is a home from home environment where you can feel comfortable and settled.
Death is a very important part of life. If we can give someone a good death, we have done our job well.
Rebecca Bentham is Director of Income Development & Marketing at Dr Kershaw’s Hospice.
