Saffron Walden Flyer SaffronWalden_Flyer_Jun2017_For_Web | Page 15

Hospice The Update Flyer Hospice lets Uttlesford residents know ‘St Clare is here for you’ St Clare Hospice cares for more than 1,800 people with life-limiting illnesses and their families every year across West Essex. Last year, 1 in 4 St Clare patients came from the Uttlesford District, receiving care both in the charity’s centre in Hastingwood, and in their own homes through the Community and Hospice at Home teams. As part of a new awareness-raising campaign the West Essex charity is letting Uttlesford residents know ‘St Clare is here for you’. The hospice team is distributing marketing materials, outlining their full range of clinical services, across their catchment area to ensure residents are aware of the help available to them, free of charge. The St Clare clinical campaign includes new posters, leafl ets and resources for local GP surgeries, libraries and community groups to display. St Clare Clinical Nurse Specialist, Louise Bennett, said: “I work across the Uttlesford area – from Saffron Walden and Thaxted down to Great Dunmow, Stansted and Elsenham. I visit patients with terminal and life-limiting illnesses to provide them support and advice. I help to manage their symptoms, address psychological issues and help with future care planning. I also work very closely with the GPs and district nurses in the area – visiting the 11 GP surgeries in Uttlesford very regularly. It was through my visits to the surgeries that I realised there was a gap in Picture of Nurse Louise awareness about St Clare’s care.” Commenting on the new clinical marketing campaign, Louise said: “The waiting rooms of GP surgeries, dentists and libraries are key places for us to let people know St Clare is here for them. Just seeing a poster which says ‘we are here for you’ and gives people a 24 hour advice line number, can have such an impact. We know that there are more people in Uttlesford, living with life-limiting conditions, who could benefi t from our help. Our aim is to be there for every single person in Uttlesford who needs us. A lot of people think St Clare is ‘only’ a hospice and they don’t know about all other services – outpatient appointments, therapy groups, Hospice at Home services and counselling. We offer care for the whole family, not only the patient, and we want to make sure everyone knows what St Clare can do for them.” Director of Patient Care, Philip Ball, said: “This new clinical marketing campaign is an essential part of our work in the community. Our Hospice at Home and Community teams are ready to receive more referrals, and we know that there are more people in our communities who could be benefi ting from our free, expert care. We need e