Queenscourt in the Community
What is Queenscourt at home?
Queenscourt at Home (QatH) provides planned care-shifts for patients who have a far advanced, progressive and life-limiting illness and who want to be cared for in their own homes.
Who is eligible to receive the service?
Those patients with far advanced, progressive and life-limiting illness, who will usually: –
- Be registered on their GP practice’s Gold Standards Framework or Supportive Care Register;
- Be registered on the District Nursing case load;
- Have informed us that the preferred place of care is home and/or wish to be cared for at home for a long as possible;
- Require additional support in the form of care shifts to reduce the risk of inappropriate hospital admission in the last weeks of life and have been referred to QatH by their GP/District Nurse or a suitably qualified health care professional
When does this service run?
The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week
What does Queenscourt at Home offer?
Queenscourt at Home provides three elements of care to support those who are dying, want to remain at home and would otherwise require hospital admission.
Element One – Care Shifts: Queenscourt at Home Healthcare Assistants (HCA’s) provide support and care at home for patients and their families, day or night. Queenscourt at Home HCA’s will review the patient’s condition at each visit and liaise with the District Nursing teams and the Community Specialist Palliative Care Nurses when necessary.
Element Two – Accompanied Transfer Home (ATH): A Queenscourt at Home HCA will accompany a complex patient home to support the family situation if required and hand over in person to the community services who will then take over the care. An Accompanied Transfer Home is an extension of the Queenscourt inpatient service and hand over will take place in the patient’s home instead of at the door of Queenscourt.
Element Three – Volunteer Visits: Queenscourt Outside Volunteers will provide non-clinical support and friendship to support the patients at the end of life and their families. This includes practical, emotional and compassionate support in their own home, including patients living alone.