23 May 2023
As we learn to live with COVID-19, our priority remains to protect our patients, their visitors, colleagues, and volunteers from the spread of infection.
The Hospice Executive Team are meeting frequently to ensure that all necessary precautions are taken. We are following Public Health England Guidelines, along with our local NHS Trust, and encourage you to keep up to date by visiting - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
You can find the Government’s latest guidance on protecting people previously considered extremely clinically vulnerable from COVID-19 here.
If you have any specific questions about your personal circumstances, please speak to your GP or contact our Hospice Community Team on 01622 792200 ext 204.
Our Hospice
All Hospice teams are continuing to support our patients and their families, both in person, and remotely as required.
Please do not enter the hospice if you have any of the following symptoms
The latest Coronavirus symptoms in adults is listed as:
We would kindly ask that you still sanitize your hands at the Hospice entrance and if additional PPE is required, our colleagues will advise you.
Inpatient Unit
There are currently no restrictions on visiting patients on the Inpatient Unit, however where possible please visit after 10:30am.
If your loved one or you, are displaying symptoms or have been diagnosed with COVID-19, please contact our Inpatient Unit directly 01622 792200 ext 210. Visiting will be considered on a case-by-case basis and where we can ensure maximum protection for patients, visitors and colleagues.
Hospice Community Team
Our Hospice Community Team are continuing to adapt and respond to the needs of our patients. Telephone support, video consultations and home visits can be provided. Please call the Hospice Community Team on 01622 792200 ext 204 for further support and advice.
Hospice Hub
The Hospice is welcoming patients and carers to the Hospice Hub service in Magnolia Place. Every week Hospice colleagues and volunteers offer a range of services, many of which operate on a flexible drop-in basis. Patients and carers can socialise, speak to members of the Drop-in Team, and attend optional supportive sessions.
The weekly schedule has been designed so that patients and carers can attend both informal Hub drop-in sessions, to speak with members of the Hospice Hub Drop-in Team, including the Community Palliative Care Specialist Nurse, Complementary Therapist, Welfare Advisor, Chaplaincy and Spiritual Carer, alongside dedicated days for Dementia care and bereavement support. Full details of the weekly schedule, and the supportive and education groups can be found here.
Patients and carers attending the Hospice Hub should not attend if they are displaying any of the Covid symptoms. We encourage all Hospice Hub attendees to ensure they are vaccinated against Covid-19 and the flu.
Healthcare professionals, work and student placements
If you are on a work placement, are a student, or support us in a similar patient-facing professional capacity, please contact our Clinical Educator, Jackie Pritchard at jackie.pritchard@hokh.co.uk
If, however you are a qualified healthcare professional and would like to volunteer your skills to support our team in providing care to patients and families please contact Diane Jenner, Head of People Services at diane.jenner@hokh.co.uk
Family Support Team
Our family support services can provide emotional support, counselling, and welfare advice online, over the phone and face-to-face at the Hospice.
If you would like to speak to a member of the team, please call us on 01622 792200 ext 260. If we are not available to pick up the phone when you call, please do leave us a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible (this may be the following day).
We have also set up a peer-to-peer support group on Facebook which is open to all our patients and their carers. This closed group will enable you to connect and support each other. You can ask one of our team for the details or request to join the Heart of Kent Hospice - Patients and Carers Support Group on Facebook.
Dementia care
Our Dementia Specialist Team are continuing to support people with dementia and their carers with telephone and email support, video consultations and home visits. Please contact the team on 01622 792200 ext 204 or enquiries@hokh.co.uk
Our monthly Dementia café is held on the first Saturday of every month between 10:30am – 12:30pm, full details can be found here.
Patients and carers should not attend if they are displaying any of the Covid symptoms. We encourage all attendees to ensure they are vaccinated against Covid-19 and the flu.
Please sanitize your hands as you leave the reception area and come into the main Hospice building - the wearing of face masks is now a personal choice.
Volunteering
The health and wellbeing of all our volunteers is paramount to us, they are a vital part of our charity and enable us to deliver our wide range of services.
Our Hospice depends heavily on the continued support of volunteers, particularly within our retail shops. If you are interested in volunteering in our shops, or other areas of our work, please email volunteers@hokh.co.uk or complete our volunteer application form.
Fundraising
Our local community has been incredible in its continued support and generosity.
We are continuing to deal with the challenges of recovering our fundraising to meet the increasing demands for our specialist support and advice. We anticipate it will take three to four years for our fundraising to recover to pre-Covid levels.
You can find out more about our exciting 2023 events here or make a donation here or by calling 01622 790195.
If you would like to speak to a member of the fundraising team, please call 01622 790195 or email fundraising@hokh.co.uk
Our shops
We prefer that face masks continue to be worn in all our shops. Please visit the shop section of our website for further information about opening times. We are accepting donations at all 14 of our shops, but, if possible, ask that you please call the shop in advance to check whether we have space in the sorting rooms. Please do not leave anything outside our shops.
If you would like to shop online – please visit our eBay store.
We also have a Facebook group called Heart Of Kent Hospice Shops Group where you can hear all the latest shop news, promotions and plenty of fun and games too.