OM SS 2023 WEB 070623

matters
SPA is here to help and support those who
are impacted by life-limiting illness at all
different stages of their palliative and end-oflife
journey.
As well as helping individuals and families
over the phone, the nurses work closely with
local GPs and community services to help
individuals get timely support and help at
end-of-life. This includes co-ordinating with
District Nurses and Community Therapy Teams
and arranging home visits when appropriate.
For example, in the space of 3 hours a crossagency
plan was formulated working with
the ambulance service and other community
services to help a patient who was stuck on
a sofa.
For those not at the end of their life, SPA
sign-posts individuals to the Oakhaven
Wellbeing Centre for a variety of services
including bereavement support, social support
groups, and complementary therapy. They
also sign-post to care navigators at local GP
surgeries for support with personal care or
local support services.
SPA is still a work in progress and like any
1-year-old there is room for growth. However,
Oakhaven remains committed to improving
support and care for all of those living with or
dealing with life limiting illness and developing
services to meet patient and family need with
compassion and care and SPA is
now an integral part of
that journey.
‘A friendly voice on
the phone’ Patient
‘Speaking with the team helped
alleviate my concerns, they
were so helpful’ Family member
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