Our services
We have a range of supportive care services available to patients and their families. These include:
- Family Support
- Bereavement support
- Music and art therapies
- Complimentary therapies
- Hydrotherapy
- Social work
Therapies are usually offered in short session blocks, then reviewed. This ensures we offer the most appropriate type of therapy and monitor its effect.
Make a referral24-hour advice lines
Keech Hospice has two dedicated 24-hour advice lines:
They support patients and families but also offer specialist guidance to health and social care professionals.
Adults: 0808 180 7788
Children: 0800 035 6497
Family support
Our emotional support practitioners and counsellors offer emotional talking support to patients and their families, including children, helping them cope better with their situation and feel more prepared.
Family support can be given at the hospice, at home or, for children and young people, at school, and can be accessed either through one-to-one sessions or by attending one of our support groups.
Bereavement support
Post-bereavement, we continue to support families, giving them the opportunity to share their feelings and talk about their loss, using the most appropriate supportive care service.
Music and art therapies
Music and art therapy can offer patients and their families psychological and emotional support in a confidential, safe environment, where the use of music or art helps to express feelings.
Working with a fully trained therapist, to help:
- Communicate issues that may be difficult or confusing
- Think about loss and change
- Be creative
- Make choices or take control
- Improve ability to cope
- Increase feelings of wellbeing
Patients and family members don’t need to play a musical instrument or be good at art to take part.
Hydrotherapy pool
The hydrotherapy pool at our Luton site is designed to cater for the needs of people of all ages and disabilities. It has hoists, ramps and accessible changing rooms to ensure access
for all and features special sensory stimulation equipment including underwater lights and music as well as water fountains. The water is heated to 35°C, providing a safe, warm environment.
Using the pool can help:
- Relieve anxiety and stress
- Aid poor circulation
- Relieve muscle pain, spasm, and inflammation
- Create memories for patients and their family
The pool is managed by a pool supervisor, with the support of volunteer lifeguards.
Complementary Therapies
These work alongside medical care to help reduce stress and anxiety; manage symptoms such as pain, breathlessness, nausea, and fatigue; alleviate the side effects of treatments; improve sleep patterns; and relax tensed muscles.
We can offer patients and other family members directly involved in their care a range of physical therapies including massage, aromatherapy, reflexology, Indian head massage and reiki.
We also offer non-physical support through mindfulness training and relaxation techniques. All support is tailored to individual needs, following an assessment, and is provided by a team of registered therapists.
Social work
Our social work team support patients, carers and families across our whole service, offering social, emotional and practical support.
The team offers a wide range of advice and support including sourcing practical help at home, advice around finances, benefits and grants, help with housing, advocacy, working with schools or employers, and offering general psychosocial support.
The team work with a wide range of professionals within social services and health services to advocate for our patients.
Alongside our clinical colleagues, the team undertake work around helping people to prepare for the end of their lives through, memory making, advance care planning including creating legal documents such as Lasting Power of Attorney, Will writing and providing practical information regarding funerals and bereavement processes.
Social workers also support patients discharged from our inpatient units to go home, or to an alternative care placement, with on-going care and support, liaising with local authorities and care boards to secure the appropriate source of funding.
The team underpins safeguarding at Keech Hospice, as ensuring the health and welfare of those using our services is paramount.
Our social work team also supports those patients who do not have the mental capacity to make certain decisions for themselves, through appropriate legal frameworks, including Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
Safeguarding Statement
Living a life free from harm and abuse is a fundamental human right and is an essential requisite for health and wellbeing. At Keech Hospice we are committed to protecting everyone who use our services from harm. Babies, children, young people, and adults using the services of Keech Hospice must not suffer any form of abuse, neglect, or improper treatment, and in undertaking their duties, all staff and volunteers must prioritise promoting the wellbeing of all patients and carers. As an organisation, Keech Hospice is committed to ensuring a culture that promotes openness and transparency within which staff and volunteers are competent to recognise, share and respond promptly to concerns relating to the wellbeing and welfare of the children and vulnerable adults we engage with through our work.
Quality of Care
Our service is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who are responsible for regulating and inspecting voluntary and private health care organisations.
