Our Inpatient Unit consists of 10 beds and we have a dedicated team of professional clinical, medical and nursing staff, physiotherapists, occupational therapist, social workers, complementary therapists to support patients and their families and carers along with our spiritual care team.
Our main aim is to give everybody under our care the best possible quality of life and our will do all they can to make life as comfortable as possible when someone is admitted to us. We also support the family and loved ones going through what can be a very difficult period.
Each patient admitted to our Inpatient Unit is treated with dignity and care, and has access to 24-hour specialist palliative care.
There are several reasons people are referred to us for Inpatient care. Our main aim is to enhance your quality of life, and we’ll do all we can to ensure that you’re comfortable during your stay with us.
Around 40% of our patients go home after a stay with us.
Our team of staff have specialist training in many different areas. Together, they’ll not only provide excellent nursing and medical care, they’ll also look after your emotional, spiritual, social and psychological needs.
We have a mixture of single rooms combined with a 4 bedded ward and these are allocated depending on the individual needs of our patients.
Patients may be admitted to our inpatient wards for:
When you arrive at our Inpatient unit, you can expect a warm and friendly welcome from our team whose priority is your comfort and dignity – we are here to help you and your loved ones in any way we can.
You’ll be assessed by a doctor and a nurse. You, and your family, friends or carer, will also have the chance to ask questions. You’ll be given an Inpatient Booklet, which explains in detail all aspects of inpatient care including visiting, food and drink, and all the services you may benefit from. However, our staff are here to answer any questions you may have at any point.
Please don’t be afraid to ask.
We provide a learning environment for students who are undertaking training. All students who provide care are supervised by a trained member of staff.
Around half of our patients are discharged once their symptoms have been relieved. The length of a stay in our Inpatient unit will vary depending on your individual needs. Following discharge, patients may be referred to our Living Well Centre or Outpatient Clinic, to continue their care. The Hospice will work closely with the patient’s GP, district nurse, Macmillan nurse and community care teams to make sure that the appropriate support is available for the patient, their family, friends and carers once they are ready to go home.
We understand that having a loved one as an Inpatient at the Hospice can be a very difficult and distressing time for everyone. We do try to be a flexible as we can depending on the circumstances.
Our general visiting hours:
Monday to Friday 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 8pm.
Weekends and Bank Holidays 11am to 8pm
We ask for a maximum of three visitors per bed at any one time, as large groups may be overwhelming for some patients.
Additional visitors are very welcome to sit in the hospice café or the Family Room whilst they wait. Children are very welcome but they must be supervised by a responsible adult at all times.
We understand that sometimes visits outside these hours are required, and this can be agreed on an individual basis. We also have limited facilities for relatives to stay overnight. Please ask on the Ward if you would like to use these facilities.
All visitors must sign the visitor book at reception when they arrive, and sign out when they leave.
The Hospice of the Good Shepherd is a safe environment, where people with life-limiting illnesses are cared for. Most patients and visitors treat our staff and volunteers with the respect that they deserve. Verbal or physically abusive, threatening or violent behaviour will not be tolerated.
If visitors are unwell, they should consider waiting until they are feeling better before visiting the hospice. Illnesses such as the flu, colds, diarrhoea and vomiting can spread very quickly in healthcare settings.
For more information regarding patient visiting please read our Visiting the In-Patient Unit leaflet with the button below
Family and carers can phone day or night to enquire about patients. The phone number is 01244 852 520
Referrals to our Inpatient Unit will need to be made by the healthcare professional who is caring for you such as your GP, community or hospital team. Once you have been referred our multi-disciplinary team review and prioritise referrals daily, taking into account the needs of each patient.
If you are a healthcare professional and would like to find out more about making a referral, please see our Referral Process linked below.
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Hospice of the Good Shepherd,
Gordon Lane, Backford, Chester, CH2 4DG
Hospice: 01244 851091
Fundraising: 01244 851 811
Lottery: 0151 356 8899
Email: info@hospicegs.com
Charity Number: 515516 Company Number: 01843427
