Q. What does the Hospice do?
A. The Martlets looks after adults who are approaching the end of their life.This care is aimed at alleviating the distressing symptoms associated with serious illness as well as providing specialist emotional support for the families and carers through the illness and into bereavement. Typically patients may be in the last year or less of their illness, they may visit the Hospice or be under the care of the Hospice services, several times. Maintaining the best possible quality of life and supporting independence are our chief aims.
Q. Do you only care for patients with cancer?
A. No, increasingly we are looking after patients with complex long term conditions such as heart failure and neurological conditions who are near the end of their life. The Day Hospice and Martlets at Home in particular, have a rapidly increasing percentage of such patients.
Q. What facilities and services does the Martlets offer?
A. An 18-bedded InPatient unit; a Day Hospice offering a range of activities and therapies and out patient consultations; bereavement and counselling services; a Martlets at Home service. A respite service within the Martlets at Home is also available.
Q. Who provides the service?
A. A team of professional, clinical, nursing, social workers and counselling staff supported by catering, domestic, administrative and fundraising personnel provide our services. A large number of volunteers also make a significant contribution to the welfare of patients and their families and to fundraising.
Q. Who is the Hospice for?
A. Hospice services are available to all adult members of the local communities, including Portslade, Hove, Brighton and those situated along the coast to Newhaven, inland to Lewes and back along the line of the Downs. Care is provided on the basis of medical need.
Q. How does one access the Hospice?
A. Access to the Martlets and Martlets at Home is via medical referral from the GP, District Nurse, Macmillan Community Team or Hospital Consultant. The Hospice is the base of the Macmillan Community Team (MCT).
Q. What does it cost to use the Hospice?
A. Care is provided to patients free of charge although all of our patients and their families contribute voluntarily to the cost of their care. As an independent charity, the Hospice is largely dependent upon the generosity of the local community to pay for patients' care.
Q. How is care funded?
A. The Hospice is not part of the NHS and must generate over £4.7 million to ensure the continuation of Hospice services, 30% of this funding is received from the local Primary Care Trust, however over £3 million must be generated each year from charitable sources.
Q. How many patients does the hospice care for in a year.
A. In the year ending 31st March 2009, the Martlets InPatient Unit had 244 admissions, the Martlets at Home Team cared for 245 patients and there were 1,781 Day Hospice attendances. The average length of stay in the InPatient Unit was 20 days.
Q. How can I help?
A. There are many ways in which you can support your local Hospice. Please visit the Get Involved section of this site to find out about what we do and how you can support us.
Q. What is meant by the term "Palliative Care?
A. Palliative Care affirms life and regards dying as a normal process. Care neither hastens nor postpones death. Palliative Care provides relief from pain and other distressing symptons. It integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care and offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death. Palliative Care also offers a support system to help the family to cope during the patient's illness and in their own bereavement.
Q. What's the difference between the Martlets Hospice and the Martlets Care Agency?
The Martlets Hospice cares for adults who are approaching the end of their life, as a registered charity there is no charge for this service. The Martlets Care Agency is a private care agency, offering expert nursing and personal care to meet clients needs at home. All profits from the Care Agency go to the Martlets Hospice.
Q. What is the Hospice's stance on assisted dying?
A. Assisted dying is a complex subject that raises challenging ethical questions for hospice care. The Martlets Hospice recognises that across society there is a range of different views, and respects the right of everyone to take an individual position. At the Martlets, we help patients to live life as well as they can in the time they have left.We do not support the practice of assisted dying; we believe that life is precious - indeed our very reason for being is to care for patients at the end of life and to make the end of their life a positive and dignified experience.