Children’s Hospice Week 2023

Our children’s services deliver Hospice at Home care provided by specialist Children’s Nurses, respite care for parents offered by Healthcare Assistants (HCAs), and a play team, which supports children and their families to enjoy precious moments and make memories together.

Children’s Hospice at Home Nurse, Sarah Mobsby, explains: “We adapt the care we offer to a child’s changing needs. For example, if a child’s condition becomes unstable, we’ll offer the family 24-hour on-call nursing care. We do the same as a child nears end of life. If parents can reach us any time of the day or night at times of crisis, we can help avoid hospital admissions and keep families at home together when every moment matters.”

About the respite service, HCA Katie Hinton, adds: “We can free up nursing time for more complex care while giving parents space to breathe, to catch up on other tasks or to spend quality time with their other children.”

Play Worker Kelly Constantine provides play sessions in families’ homes or at Grove House in St Albans. “Arts, crafts and messy play are popular,” says Kelly, “as are our sensory stories, told using lights, sounds and textures.”

The play team also facilitates memory-making activities – such as scrapbooks, build-a-bear workshops and clay hand and foot castings – and host monthly groups at Grove House for patients and siblings to have fun and make friends.

Seven-year-old Lily attends the sibling group because her three-year-old brother Taylor was born with a rare condition that weakens his immune system.

“I know he needs to lead as ‘normal’ a life as possible,” says his mum Michelle, “and that means going to nursery, to soft play, and on holidays.” But all these things are a huge challenge for a family caring for a little boy with a condition like Taylor’s.

Rennie Grove’s Children’s Nurses support the family with Taylor’s healthcare needs and the charity’s play team fill the gaps while he has to be off nursery, giving him a chance to laugh, play and have fun.

Click here to find out more about the work of our children’s team.