Providing you with expert help, care and support

Services provided by Cransley Hospice are free of charge for the local community. The expert team provides care and support in the place you most want to be, whether this is your own home, a care home or in the hospice.

It is thanks to our generous local community and their support for Cransley Hospice Trust, through donations and fundraising, that it is possible to deliver the services and high level of care free of charge to people living in North Northamptonshire.

Cransley Hospice provide care to patients in their own home or care home, as outpatients, or within the hospice inpatient unit

The inpatient unit has 9 beds and is supported by a team of Nurses, Doctors and other Health Care Professionals who are experts in palliative care – caring for someone who is no longer able to have a treatment to cure them.

The team specialise in helping you and your loved ones to get on top of difficult symptoms, deal with any physical pain and reduce emotional distress.

We understand that not all patients wish to go into the Hospice to be cared for and would prefer to remain at home, in familiar surroundings and our Hospice at Home team can make this possible.  The team maintain the same ethos of care as delivered at Cransley Hospice: to maintain dignity, assist in controlling symptoms and enable patients to make decisions about their care.

The Hospice at Home Team work in partnership with General Practitioners, District Nurses and other health and social services, although the patient’s own GP and District Nurse remain responsible for the overall care at all times.

The care is provided by a team of experienced Clinical Nurse Specialists, Therapists, Registered Nurses and Healthcare Support Workers. All care is planned with you and your family, working closely alongside District Nurses, GPs and others, to ensure that we are able to meet your needs.

Fifty percent of patients will return home after a short stay in our inpatient unit.  The average length of stay is around 13 days.

Care is provided for people with a wide range of life-limiting illnesses including motor neurone disease, heart failure, Parkinson’s disease and dementia.

We care for young and elderly patients over 18 years of age.  We do not care for children.

The hospice is a quiet and peaceful place but it is also a happy place where there are sounds of talking and laughter.

The inpatient unit has 9 beds and is supported by a team of nurses, doctors and other health care professionals who are experts in palliative care.

There is a mixture of single rooms and shared bedroom areas with a comfortable lounge for patients and families to spend time together.  There is a calm and peaceful garden at the rear of the hospice with a few tables and chairs where patients and families can sit outside.

The hospice has a daily quiet time between 1pm and 3pm where we ask that patients do not receive visitors unless under exceptional circumstances.

Family, friends, the family dog – everyone is welcomed at Cransley Hospice.

Some of the terms used can be confusing when you hear them for the first time.  Below are some of the common terms used about end of life care:

Advance care planning: Thinking about, and planning for, how you wish to be cared for at the end of life.

Advance directive: a document that describes the healthcare you would and would not want if you were seriously ill and unable to speak for yourself.

Advance statement or Preferred Priorities of Care (PPC): A written document that states what your wishes are for your care and treatment. This can include your preferred place of death and your preferred place of care.

Care transition: a change in a patient’s care, from hospital to home, for example, or from one team of doctors to another, or from curative care to hospice care. Transitions are difficult for the patient and require planning, communication and careful monitoring.

Continuous care: one of the four levels of care mandated by the Medicare hospice benefit; up to 24 hours/day of clinical care in the home until symptoms are under control.

Do not attempt resuscitation (DNR): This expresses your wish for doctors to not attempt to resuscitate if your heart stops.

Dysphagia: difficulty swallowing.

Dyspnea: difficult or labored breathing.

Edema: an excess of fluid in body cavities or beneath the skin. It causes swelling and is very painful.

End of life care: End of life care is part of palliative care and is for people who are nearing the end of their life. End of life care aims to help you live as comfortably as possible, by managing physical symptoms and getting emotional support for you and those around you.

‘Just in case’ medicines: This describes medicines that your health care professional prescribes for you to keep at home so that they can easily be given to you at short notice.

Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA): This gives another person the right to make certain decisions on your behalf.

Lymphoedema:  There are 2 main types of lymphoedema:

• primary lymphoedema – caused by faulty genes that affect the development of the lymphatic system; it can develop at any age, but usually starts during infancy, adolescence, or early adulthood.
• secondary lymphoedema – caused by damage to the lymphatic system or problems with the movement and drainage of fluid in the lymphatic system; it can be the result of a cancer treatment, an infection, injury, inflammation of the limb, or a lack of limb movement.

Palliative care: Palliative care is for people living with a terminal illness. It is care designed to improve the quality of a person’s life and the lives of those who are close to them. You can receive palliative care at any stage in your illness. You can have palliative care alongside other therapies, treatments and medicines aimed at controlling your illness.