Does anyone have any links or info regarding hospice care in UK? Would one qualify for this if born in UK but resided in US for 26 years? Thank you.

Hi fulwood

Here's a link that lists all the hospices in the UK - http://www.hauraki.co.uk/hospice_uk/

Wish I could be of more help.

Donna

Hi,

many hospices have their own criteria for admission. You need to check out hospices in the area your looking to move to.

A referral for treatment can be made by the potential patient, a relative/supporter or by a health care professional. A patient could attend on an outpatient basis given their health status (ie control of symptoms, physical and pyschological needs). My local hospice can accomodate out patient places to match needs.

Admittance as an inpatient depends on their clinical need. The symptoms and clinical diagonosis for in patient referral would have to meet criteria of the terminal phase. The terminal phase is usually a matter of days but could be a week/fortnight. During my nurse training I had a hospice placement, the unit had 14 beds. A lot of the time there were beds available to those who needed them........but sometimes demand was strong against nil bed availability. They try their best but a place cannot be guarranteed. Then you would be looking at either admission to hospital, or possibly hospice-at-home (specialised teams of care assistants, district nurses, macmillian nurses etc supporting the relatives to care for the person in their/relative home).

A point to note. Whilst anyone can make a referral to a hospice, the patient themselves must be registered with a General Practioner within the hospices catchment area. He would need to be living over here and have an adress with which to register. Registration is based on residency and not nationality or payment of taxes.

So as long as he is allowed to live over here (should be fine as citizen) its a case of choose your area/hospice/register with G.P.

Your potential problems to research are:-
Health....he would have to come back whilst reasonably healthy ie fit for travel, which leads to
income....sufficient funds to live on (even if eligiable for any benefits, assistance they take a time to sort out)
housing....need somewhere to live prior to admission to hospice, and potentially fit for hospice at home if needs be

finally, the biggest hurdle is whether or not he would get free N.H.S treatment bearing in mind that some/all of his treatment may be provided by them. I'm sorry I dont know the answer to this. Hopefully someone knowledgeable will come along and answer that for you.

I hope that you get the answers and support that you need. God bless

Ty

thank you for your replies. One hates to be a voice of doom and gloom on such a wonderful forum but I may have to think of these things. I would move back to UK with him and would use what money I have for living etc. Yes what you have provided thus far is super and i think I have been told as he is UK citizen he would be eligible for healthcare. He is getting free care in the US now but if things worsen he does not want to die in this country. Wants to be at home..

Then I would recommend as a nurse to move soon as things can turn quickly and you don't want to try rushing a very sick patient to the UK he may not be able to fly.

Mummy in the foothills, well doctor hasn't called me to let me know how things are/will be.. I know what I know cos nurse good enough to read the report. HOPEFULLY doctor will call me tomorrow as he is off duty this week. I just don't understand how he goes in initially for plastic surgery and then they find out his cancer has returned. I called a few times but it's only until I said something did I find out..So I will see him today and hopefully bloody doctor calls me tomorrow to let me know how things are. he did chemo and radiation only few months back and has come back. One day at a time - UK is the worst case scenario but I have spoken about moving back for good before. thanks.. didn't know you were a nurse..

Good luck
Here I've been a home visit nurse forever, seeing a lot of end of life patients who won't entertain the word Hospice.