Research carried out by charity Hospice UK has found that one in four people who require end of life care and their families are not getting the support they need, and that this is more common for people with conditions other than Cancer.
The Myton Hospices is continuously working to make sure our services are available to as many people as possible in Coventry and Warwickshire living with life limiting illnesses including Respiratory conditions, Heart conditions, Parkinson’s, Renal failure and Motor Neurone Disease, as well as Cancer.
Research highlights...
The research highlights that there are around 118,000 people in the UK with terminal and life limiting conditions who are not able to access the expert care they need at the end of life, including hospice care. Although the modern hospice movement has made great strides in the last 50 years to manage the symptoms of people living with terminal illnesses so they can continue to live their lives, there are still many misconceptions surrounding hospice care. Hospice care as it is known now initially began with a focus on Cancer patients who had been told their condition could not be cured, which has meant many people still think of hospices as places exclusively for people with Cancer, and as places where people go to die.
Myton's focus...
At Myton our focus is very much around living well for longer and we provide support for patients and their loved ones, from the minute they receive the diagnosis that their illness is incurable, to the end of their life. We provide symptom control and pain relief as well as other aspects of care, including spiritual and psychological support and complementary therapies to promote wellbeing. We also provide emotional and practical support to families, including bereavement counselling for both adults and children.
Last year Myton supported more than 1,400 people and their families, in our three hospices, via our patient & family support services, and in the community through Myton at Home. By focussing on a patient’s wellbeing and seeing them and not the illness we aim to help them reengage with their lives and give them more quality time with their families and loved ones.
What Olivia had to say...
In recognition of the need to reach out to more people Myton appointed Community Engagement Manager, Olivia Bowskill, to improve the knowledge of members of the public, referrers and patients about the hospice’s services and to develop partnerships with healthcare professionals, community groups and volunteers. Olivia previously worked as a palliative care nurse both in England and Australia before taking up her current role so is well placed to raise awareness of the services on offer at Myton.
She said: “My main focus has been to look into challenges around extending reach and equity of access to our services in all of our local communities, including non-cancer groups and ethnic groups, to name just two.
“Two key elements of my work are encouraging patients to access our care earlier in their journey, and strengthening our education offer to external health care professionals so that they better understand what we can do for their patients.
“In raising the profile of The Myton Hospices I have been strengthening our relationships with service commissioners, health and social care professionals, voluntary sector organisations and community support groups, and we have noticed an increase in people accessing our services.”
Myton saw an increase...
In 2016/17 Myton saw an increase in the following areas: we cared for 618 people in our Inpatient Units - 28% more than the previous year; 190 people via the Myton at Home service - 25% more than the previous year; 334 people in our Day Hospices - 6% more than the previous year; 295 people used our Counselling services - 54% more than the previous year; 385 people used the Complementary Therapy services - 11% more than the previous year; and 579 people used our Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy services - 28% more than the previous year.
Where to find us...
Coventry Myton Hospice
Warwick Myton Hospice
Rugby Myton Hospice
If you would like to find out more about our services, please click here.