Is it an emergency?On this page you’ll find information about end of life, palliative and bereavement support services in Suffolk and north east Essex. You can learn more about end of life care on the nhs.uk website.
The NHS Constitution gives most people living in England the right to choose where to receive treatment.
Services across Suffolk and north east Essex
About this service
EACH offers care and support for children and young people with life-threatening conditions and support families across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. They offer families flexibility and control over where they receive their care and support, including where their child dies; at home, in hospital or at one of their three hospices.
Their services include:
- Care at end of life
- Specialist symptom management support and advice
- Day care and overnight breaks, including accommodation for families
- Emotional and wellbeing support, including counselling, art therapy and music therapy
- Occupational therapy and physiotherapy, including hydrotherapy
- Specialist play
- Family events
- Support groups
- Spiritual care
How to access this service
Care and support is provided to families and significant others living in Norfolk, Suffolk, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and North, Mid and West Essex who:
- Have a baby, child or young person (under 18 years of age) living with life-threatening or life-limiting conditions and may benefit from palliative care input.
- Are bereaved of a baby, child or young person as a result of a pre-existing life-threatening condition.
Refer yourself or someone you know to EACH via email or post, using the contact details on the EACH website.
About this service
A free, counselling service to support women, men and couples through the devastation of baby loss.
Organisation that provides this service
Petals – the Baby Loss Counselling Charity
How to access this service
Counselling is available if you have received maternity care from the following hospitals:
- Colchester Hospital
- Ispwich Hospital
- Lister Hospital – Stevanage
- Oxford University Hospital
- Princess Alexandra Hospital – Harlow
- Queen Charlotte’s Hospital – London
- St Mary’s Hospital – London
- St Thomas’ Hospital – London
- West Herts Hospital – Watford
- West Suffolk Hospital
To refer yourself for counselling services, please contact the provider directly via the contact details listed on the Petals website.
Services in Ipswich and east Suffolk
Unsure about where the boundaries we refer to lie? Enter your postcode to check whether you live in Ipswich and east Suffolk, north east Essex or west Suffolk.
The Palliative Care Co-ordination Hub helps to co-ordinate care for patients who are approaching the end of their life and to support those closest to them. Its aim is to help co-ordinate care to ensure individuals can die in their preferred place, which is often their own home.
This service can be accessed via One Call – a 24-hour advice line – which provides essential support for patients and their families, and professionals caring for individuals nearing the end of life.
Organisation that provides this service
What area does this service cover?
This service is available in Ipswich and east Suffolk.
How to access this service
Individuals, family members and carers and health and care professionals can contact this service directly via – via One Call – 24-hour advice: 0800 567 0111.
Simple acts of kindness and compassion can make the biggest difference to people experiencing death, dying and loss.
Compassionate Communities gives individuals and communities the tools to help others whether it be at work, through community events or simply how to support a neighbour going through a bereavement. By developing these skills, we can build the confidence and resilience needed to care for one another before and after end of life.
Organisation that provides this service
What area does this service cover?
This service is available in Ipswich and east Suffolk.
How to access this service
Please contact St Elizabeth Hospice directly for more information about this service:
Email: compassionate.communities@stelizabethhospice.org.uk
Website: www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/compassion
The aim of Compassionate Companions is to support and empower patients who are at end of life, to prepare and help them make choices right for them. It provides non-medical support via a matched ‘companion’ to enable them to live life fully until they die.
Organisation that provides this service
What area does this service cover?
This service is available in Ipswich and east Suffolk.
How to access this service
To access this service, please speak to your GP or contact the service directly via the ‘contact us’ form hosted on the service’s dedicated website.
Website: www.compassionatecompanions.uk
The emotional and spiritual wellbeing team at St Elizabeth supports patients and families facing illness, bereavement and to support the staff who care for them.
Organisation that provides this service
What area does this service cover?
This service is available in Ipswich and east Suffolk.
How to access this service
To access this service, please telephone 0300 303 5196 (Monday to Friday, 9.00 – 16.00) or email emotionalwellbeing@stelizabethhospice.org.uk.
St Elizabeth Hospice provides outstanding care to improve life for people living with progressive illness and life-limiting conditions in Ipswich and East Suffolk.
St Elizabeth Hospice provides:
- Specialist palliative care with 18 beds on the Inpatient Unit at Ipswich.
- Care within a patient’s home and supporting people in a care home.
- The Palliative and End of Life Care Coordination Hub helps to co-ordinate care for patients who are approaching the end of their life and to support those closest to them. Its aim is to help co-ordinate care to ensure individuals can die in their preferred place, which is often their own home.
- Community Care Unit locations to support patients with complex needs including symptom control. Giving access to professionals and social integration. Nearest one in Ipswich and East Suffolk is at the hospice’s location at Foxhall Road in Ipswich where patients and families can enjoy refreshments and relax at Ridley’s Café whilst they attend appointments.
- Young adult service Zest provides support to people aged 14+ who are living with incurable illnesses, running social groups, parent support and providing a short break service so families can have respite.
- Bereavement support through LivingGrief and access to the LivingGrief bereavement hub – available to anyone in Ipswich East Suffolk.
- Working in collaboration with St Helena Hospice, Hospice Education supports and trains all clinical staff who provide hospice services – from seminars, online talks, practical sessions and outreach to universities and nursing courses in the local area.
- Compassionate Communities helps to combat taboos around death and dying and give communities and workplaces the tools to support each other in their time of need.
Organisation that provides this service
What area does this service cover?
This service is available in Ipswich and east Suffolk
How to access services
You can refer or self-refer on the St Elizabeth Hospice website.
24/7 support from the hospice’s OneCall phone line. Available for patients, families, carers, medical professionals and health and social care workers by calling 0800 567 0111.
Services in north east Essex
Unsure about where the boundaries we refer to lie? Enter your postcode to check whether you live in Ipswich and east Suffolk, north east Essex or west Suffolk.
St Helena Hospice supports patients in north east Essex with the following services.
Inpatient End of life care
The hospice provides 24 hour specialist care to people in north east Essex living with an incurable illness. Set within beautiful, homely grounds in Highwoods, Colchester.
End of Life Virtual Ward
This service accepts fast-track referrals for patients to receive personal care in the last few weeks or days of life (up to 6 weeks). This nurse-led community-based service supports patients with intense multiple needs to remain in their usual place of residence, where this is their preferred place of care.
My Care Choices Register
A digital way for healthcare professionals to access and record decisions about the type and place of care someone would like to receive as they approach the end of their life.
SinglePoint (End of Life care hub)
A 24/7, 365-day service accessed via a single telephone number, available to patients, carers and healthcare professionals.
SinglePoint offers specialist assessment, referrals, advice and signposting and rapid assistance to avoid admission to hospital, supported by a team of non-medical prescribers. It acts as the coordination hub for all out of hospital end of life care in both non-urgent and crisis situations.
Symptom control, including anticipatory prescribing, is also provided, where qualified practitioners will prescribe, monitor and review appropriate medication.
SinglePoint telephone: 01206 890 360
Bereavement Counselling
For all bereaved families or individuals, including children, tailored to individual needs. Services are provided through: telephone support and advice; written information; bereavement support; bereavement counselling and group support.
Carer support
The hospice helps carers to identify themselves at an early stage, recognising the value of their contribution and involving them from the outset both in designing local care provision and in planning individual care packages. Supporting carers with education, caring abilities and wellbeing.
Organisation that provides this service
What area does this service cover?
This service is available in north east Essex
How to access this service
If you have a progressive or incurable illness, or have been told your health may not improve, you may be offered palliative or end of life care. Please speak to the healthcare professionals involved in your care if you would like to discuss hospice support.
The SinglePoint (End of Life care hub) can be reached by telephone 24 hours a day, every day of the year on: 01206 890 360.
To discuss bereavement counselling, carer support or the My Care Choices Register, please contact St Helena Hospice directly. Contact details of all of their services can be found via the ‘Contact Us’ page on the St Helena website.
About this service
Respite and end of life care can be provided for children and young people in their own home through the Children and Young People’s Hospice at Home Team. Respite carers are trained specifically to meet the needs of the child or young person through joint assessments and planning with you.
The Hospice at Home team care for children and young people up to the age of 25 from Essex who have been diagnosed with a complex or incurable condition. Support is also offered to the family.
Who provides this service?
How to access this service
Please contact Havens Hospices directly via the contact details listed on their website.
Regardless of the stage of your illness, your GP team will continue to be involved in your care. Your GP team can advise you on how to access appointments, get help in a crisis and access any medication you may need.
GPs now work in bigger teams and you may wish to ask about how members of this team can support you, for example there is likely to be a pharmacist in the practice that can help with accessing medications, or a care advisor who can advise you about benefits or care support. Many home visits are now done by senior experienced nurses.
GPs work alongside other services such as the community nursing team and the hospice. During surgery hours it is often best to call the GP surgery for medical queries.
Organisation that provides this service
- Your registered GP
How to access this service
Please contact your GP surgery directly for any queries relating to your care.
If you are living with a progressive or life-limiting illness, you may be supported by your local hospital’s palliative care service which includes: management of pain and other symptoms, psychological, social and spiritual support.
This team works closely with other teams in the hospital such as the chaplains, occupational therapists and discharge planning teams, as well as working closely with St Helena Hospice to make sure you have support after you have left hospital.
Your local hospital also provides community-based services such as the community nursing team, who receive referrals from your GP practice.
Organisation that provides this service
How to access this service
Your GP team or district nurse will refer you directly to this service if needed.
Health and care professionals can reach the Colchester team via telephone at: 01206 746 272. This line is open 9am-5pm, seven days a week.
Services in West Suffolk
Unsure about where the boundaries we refer to lie? Enter your postcode to check whether you live in Ipswich and east Suffolk, north east Essex or west Suffolk.
St Nicholas Hospice Care provides specialist palliative care and support for people and their families faced with dying, caring and grief. Its services include emotional and wellbeing support as well as practical help and companionship from volunteer-led teams.
St Nicholas also provides education courses on end-of-life care and talking about dying for professionals and the general public.
A 24-hour advice line is accessible to people and their family members, as well as healthcare professionals including general practitioners, district nurses and carers.
When referred to St Nicholas Hospice Care any combination of the following services might be used to support a person’s needs:
- Community Nursing Team – care delivered in the home
- Inpatient Unit – highly specialised 24-hour care at the hospice’s ward
- Medical Team – specialist palliative care assessment and advice
- Independent Living Team – support to adapt to condition changes and control symptoms
- Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy Team – religious and pastoral needs
- Hospice Neighbours and Community Connectors – companionship and practical support
- Psychological Services – help for those struggling to cope with an illness and specialist bereavement support for adults and children
- Education – supporting skills of healthcare providers, local communities and families
Services are delivered wherever patients call home or where they feel safe, some patients requiring complex support will be referred to the hospice’s inpatient ward.
Organisation that provides this service
How to access this service
Patients can self-refer themselves to this service via the St Nicholas Hospice website. You can also speak to your GP team about accessing this service.
Useful links
- To Live With Dying – a dedicated website for residents of Suffolk and north east Essex
- Compassionate Communities resources – tools to aid end of life discussion and planning
Questions or feedback?
Our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is here to help. Ask a question, provide feedback or lodge a complaint.