Professionals information
Children's Hospice South West provides hospice care for children and families in the South West, providing a service from both Charlton Farm in North Somerset, and Little Bridge House in North Devon.
The children we care for….
We provide care for children who have been diagnosed with a life-limiting or life-threatening illness, which means that it is unlikely that the child will survive into adulthood.
Making referrals…
Referrals can be made right from the point of diagnosis of such an illness or condition, and the support provided will be tailored to the needs of the individual child and family and is reviewed over time.
Referrals may also be made for children who do not have a clear diagnosis, but whose medical history suggests that their life expectancy is likely to be reduced.
Please do not feel that a child must be nearing the end of life before referral, but do recognise that the family must be able to accept that their child's life expectancy will be limited in order to feel comfortable in a hospice environment.
There is no charge to families for the care offered.
Our hospices….
Little Bridge House in North Devon has been established since 1995 and has 8 beds for children, 7 for planned respite care and 1 for emergencies.
Charlton Farm opened its doors to families in April 2007, to provide an additional 5 respite beds and one emergency bed, and will increase to a total provision of 8 beds as funds allow.
Little Bridge House is registered to provide care for children and young adults up to the age of 23, and Charlton Farm to the age of 21, but we would not normally accept referrals of children over the age of 16 unless there was a very high chance that the young person would not survive for more than a few years. From the age of 18, we will work jointly with relevant agencies to secure efficient transition of care into adult services.
The hospices are registered as ‘Independent Hospitals’ with the Care Quality Commission.
Our care team…
Our care team includes a range of professionals from backgrounds in nursing, social work, physiotherapy, chaplaincy, teaching, and youth work, in addition to other supporting staff. One to one staffing ratios are the norm and thus we can provide the highest quality of care. Medical support is provided by a team of GPs and paediatricians.
A home from home…
Our aim is to provide a "home from home", with a relaxed and informal atmosphere, to replicate the care that children receive from their families at home. As hospices, Little Bridge House and Charlton Farm are able to care for children with complex nursing/medical needs, and to be flexible in the amount and type of support that is offered to families, according to their wishes. However, we do not provide the level of medical intervention and resuscitation usually available in an acute hospital setting.
Referring a child and family for support…
We welcome referrals from any professionals involved with a child with a life-limiting condition, and directly from the families themselves. We will then contact the family to offer information about our service, and obtain their permission to contact their professional support team (GP, consultants, key workers etc) to gather up-to-date information about their child's current needs and likely future prognosis. Useful initial information that we require includes the child's name and address and date of birth, diagnosis or condition (if known), and a contact telephone number for the family.
When all the information available is reviewed, a decision will be made about the appropriateness of hospice care for an individual child and family. The family and involved professionals will be informed of this decision without delay. A typical timeframe for this referral process is approximately 6 weeks.
If an urgent or emergency referral is necessary (such as for symptom control or end-of-life care) please contact the head of care and/or the medical director at the relevant hospice to discuss how we might work together to best meet the needs of the child and family. Please note that as we do not have residential medical cover around the clock, it may not be possible to accept emergency admissions at night or during weekends without prior arrangement.
For more information on referrals please contact Little Bridge House or Charlton Farm as follows:
Little Bridge House
Tel: 01271 321999
E-mail:
referralslbh@chsw.org.uk
Charlton Farm
Tel: 01275 866611
Email:
referralscf@chsw.org.uk
How to apply to work as a member of our bank staff
Please send in a letter of application to the relevant hospice along with your CV. You will be required to participate in the full recruitment process.
How to apply for a care job at Little Bridge House or Charlton Farm
Please see the jobs section for any current vacancies.