Frequently Asked Questions

What services do you offer?

Patients are usually referred to our services by their GP or District Nurse, or Clinical Specialist Nurse (e.g. Macmillan). Patients and their families can also self-refer by contacting us either by phone on 01325 254321 or by email at hello@darlingtonhospice.org.uk.

Things at the moment are different due to Covid-19, however we are continuing as many services as we safely can. These include:

Hospice at Home

High-quality care and support to patients and their carers in the comfort of their own homes. We work alongside other community teams to provide basic nursing care and emotional support

Rapid Response Team

We offer urgent care at short notice (response within 1 hr) for people living with any terminal illness. Available any time, any day of the week to give hands-on care so people can remain in their homes rather than go into hospital.

Inpatient Unit

At St Teresa’s Hospice we provide Inpatient Care in our Nurse-led Unit. This has individual en-suite bedrooms. Your own GP is responsible for monitoring your medical needs while you are in the Hospice. In addition, advice may be sought from the specialist palliative care team. If you live outside the Darlington area, a local GP practice will be asked to oversee your care, during your stay.

Family Support

This team consists of specialist social workers, counsellors and support workers. The team helps anyone with a life-limiting illness, their family, friends and carers, including children and young people. Support is given individually or to the whole family. We are here to support you by offering practical advice, information or someone to talk to, working within the Hospice and alongside other organisations in the community.

Bereavement Support

The death of someone close creates a range of feelings and emotions. Grief is natural but can be very painful. We are here to support you through this difficult time.

Although family and friends can be of support, many people find it helpful to talk to someone who is on the “outside” of their life as they make sense of what has happened and begin to adjust to their loss. We also have help and information around practical matters that can affect people following bereavement.

One-to-one support is available from our Bereavement Care Team, offering you a safe space to talk about and explore your feelings. This can be either in the form of face to face counselling in weekly appointments or held via telephone or Zoom.

• Support can be provided to a family – depending on your wishes and needs. 
• Informal Bereavement Support Group meetings – for some people, the opportunity to meet others in a similar situation is really helpful. We offer an informal “drop-in” group that is both friendly and supportive. Our group meets at the Hospice every Monday mornings (except bank holidays). 
• Specialist support for children and young people looking to make sense of a death – to enable them to communicate, explore and normalise their feelings and concerns in a safe way.
• Keeping in touch – When someone whom the Hospice has cared for dies, we keep in touch with family and friends through the post (unless they do not wish this).

Please contact us and ask to speak to a member of the Bereavement Care Team for more information.

Our service is open to adults when someone close to them has died due to a life-limiting illness where they received some form of care from St Teresa’s Hospice.

As well as this we can provide support to children and young people aged under eighteen even if the person who died was not known to the Hospice if the nature of the death was due to a life-limiting illness.

We have a suite of private rooms that provide a safe space to talk, as well as family and children’s rooms designed to allow children and young people to feel at home.

Complementary Therapies

Complementary Therapies are given alongside conventional treatments for cancer and other conditions. They are beneficial for pain relief, and for promoting relaxation and well-being which is particularly important. The main criteria for the choice of therapy is simply what you feel comfortable with. Our therapists are fully-trained, qualified and are members of recognised professional governing bodies.

Lymphoedema Clinic

Lymphoedema is a disease which causes fluid to collect in the body’s tissues. It can affect anyone at any time and there is no cure. With the right treatment and advice it is controllable and can be managed with patient compliance to maximise quality of life. The Clinic offers patients support and information on how best to live with the disease, be it primary (determined from birth) or secondary (impaired lymphatic system as a result of surgery, radiotherapy, infection, severe injury, burns or trauma).

The Hospice provides purpose-built treatment rooms and telephone support to make the clinic possible.