Article Text
Abstract
The traditional hospice setup has been developed with silos across therapeutic services - resulting in families receiving multiple referrals for support with little or no understanding of the wider influences and having to retell their stories. Combining Social work, Counselling, Physio, OT, Creative therapy, Complementary therapy, Family support and Spiritual care into a wellbeing department streamlines the process with one referral, one holistic assessment, one MDT and one family-centred therapeutic plan. Families access the right support at the right time.
Aims Early intervention; holistic family support; integrated services; robust referral pathways; preventing crisis.
Methods
Internal audits.
Review of current counselling demand.
Review of best practice guidance.
Embedding a social care model for social and wellbeing needs.
Client feedback.
Evaluations.
Referral trends.
Results
Reduction in counselling waiting lists.
Improved early intervention to prevent crisis.
Streamlined referral processes – one referral to wellbeing services.
Improved multidisciplinary working.
Strengthen relationships with stakeholders.
Embedded holistic family assessments.
Conclusion Therapeutic services improve wellbeing and should be integrated. Families consistently tell professionals that they do not want to keep repeating their stories and communication is key. To provide person-centred care we must look at all the influencing factors and family dynamics and support play a key role. To improve family wellbeing, we must look at the whole picture. This way of working is innovative in hospices but best practice in all therapy and family-based settings. Further research in hospices could strengthen this practice.