Tel: 01723 351421 Email: general@saintcatherines.org.uk
A full program of services
This includes the full program of services found in our Wellbeing Centre, our Patient and Family Support, Lymphoedema Outpatient Clinic and our new Support for People Struggling with Bereavement service which is available to everyone.
We are in the process of re-starting the Wellbeing Centre with a completely new format. We have now adopted the term Wellbeing Services – all of which will either be offered in the Wellbeing Centre or will extend from it out to the wider community and our in-patient unit.
These services now include:
Other Wellbeing Centre programs and activities will include:
The following Wellbeing Centre services, programs, and activities are what we have planned
Please keep an eye out for further updates soon. In the meantime you can find out more by emailing general@saintcatherines.org.uk or calling 01723 351421.
Referrals to the Wellbeing Centre can be made for patients by any healthcare providers, whether they are at the hospice or elsewhere.
For referral information and forms click here
Saint Catherine’s offers a range of services for patients and families aimed at providing emotional, psychological, and pastoral care support.
The Social Work team at Saint Catherine’s provides a specialist palliative care social work service and offers practical and emotional support with any non-medical issue which may be affecting the wellbeing of a person or their families and/or carers.
The team works across the In Patient Unit, Wellbeing Centre and in the community with our wider multi-disciplinary team and with a multitude of external professionals.
The support available from the specialist palliative care social work team can include:
The Social Work team are employed by and based at the hospice. The team are available Monday – Friday (excluding Bank Holidays). All members of the team are qualified social workers and are registered with Social Work England.
Our Pastoral Care Coordinator offers support to patients and their families recognising that in times of major illness life can be both stressful and challenging – not only for our patients but also for the people close to them.
Recognising that not everyone is religious, pastoral care integrates spiritual support in being alongside people who are striving to cope with all kinds of losses. It incorporates celebrating life and it has a part in identifying purpose and meaning in life.
Our Pastoral Care Coordinator is supported by volunteers, and connections with local faith leaders. She leads the regular Pause for Thought services at the hospice, as well as the annual Service of Remembrance and Light up a Life services in the community
Our Specialist Palliative Care Counsellors are available to support patients, family members and carers with any of the challenges and difficulties that arise whether a patient is still receiving treatment (such as from Oncology or Neurology) or just being supported with palliative care, or end-of-life care.
What we offer
Our counsellors provide opportunity and support for having sometimes uncomfortable conversations about difficult issues. They can also help by suggesting strategies for coping – such as how to respond to powerful emotions, and making sense of one’s experience. Most importantly, our counsellors can help companion patients, families and carers through their difficulties and challenges, offering experienced and compassionate support.
Mindfulness and Meditation
Our counselling service may offer opportunities for nurturing meditation and mindfulness practices that can be very helpful not only in achieving calm and managing anxiety, but also in: managing difficult thoughts, living more fully in the present moment (rather than being preoccupied with a fearful future), finding meaning that can counteract fear, and feeling less alone and isolated.
If you would like to try meditation at home, our team has produced a ‘meditation toolbox’, which can help guide you through the process, with different meditations to try depending on your needs.
This ‘Meditation Toolbox’ has been written by Barbara Payman. While none of the meditations are original – they come from a variety of sources which we gratefully acknowledge – many have been developed/ adapted for current purposes.
An important part of our work is helping people look ahead at what the future may hold, and make plans based on what they want. There are a number of tools available to help with this and we have included a couple of them here. If you have any questions or would like to discuss any of these issues further please speak with one of our staff and we will help you.
Watch a quick video on Advance Care Planning
Safeguarding means working together to stop abuse and prevent it happening in the future. This applies to children and adults. Everyone has a right to live a life that is free from abuse and neglect. If you or someone you know, is experiencing or is at risk of abuse or neglect, please speak to one of our members of staff. You can also ask to speak with one of our designated safeguarding leads:
Helen Dunn – Adult Safeguarding
Work Email: helen.dunn@saintcatherines.org.uk Work Telephone number: 07711 349747
Michelle Muir – Safeguarding Adults
Work Email: michelle.muir@saintcatherines.org.uk Work Telephone number: 07711 349748
Denise Rouse – Safeguarding Children
Work Email: denise.rouse@saintcatherines.org.uk Work Telephone number: 07394 568354
Ray Baird – Safeguarding Children
Work Email: ray.baird@saintcatherines.org.uk Work Telephone number: 07811131579
Alternatively, contact the North Yorkshire County Council Customer Service Centre on 01609 780780 and speak to a specialist advisor to report your concern.
If you are receiving support from Saint Catherine’s, you may have been informed that we have resources available on our website for you. You can access those with the password you have been given here.
Lymphoedema is a long term condition that causes swelling in the body’s tissues, due to lymphatic fluid accumulating. This can happen in any part of the body, but it is more common in arms and legs. It is important that lymphoedema is treated as early as possible, as it can get worse and become extremely uncomfortable.
Lymphoedema develops when the lymphatic system does not work properly. The lymphatic system is a network of channels and glands throughout the body that helps fight infection and remove excess fluid.
There are 2 main types of lymphoedema:
Lindsey Lister, our Lymphoedema Nurse Specialist
The main symptom of lymphoedema is the swelling of a part of the body, usually a limb but it can affect anywhere. This can make it difficult to fit into clothes and things like jewellery and watches become tight to wear.
At first, the swelling may come and go. It may get worse during the day and go down overnight. Without treatment, it will usually become more severe and persistent.
There are however other symptoms and these can include:
Unfortunately there is no cure for lymphoedema, but patients at Saint Catherine’s are offered treatments to ease swelling and improve quality of life.
Our lymphoedema nurses will assess patients to confirm a diagnosis of the condition. Patients will then be provided with the information they need to understand and manage their symptoms effectively through a range of tailored treatment plans.
Properly diagnosing lymphoedema requires detailed assessment, involving two sessions, a 60-minute
telephone consultation as well as a 60-minute face-to-face assessment. Once a diagnosis is confirmed,
a treatment plan can be created for you to follow.
The treatment plan will include advice on skin care, movement, compression, and massage. You’ll
be invited to attend the clinic for a review six weeks after assessment, to monitor your progress.
Subsequent reviews usually take place at three months, six months and twelve months; these appointments also take an hour.
Should you require additional treatments these may include compression bandaging and Manual
Lymphatic Drainage massage, which may take 45 – 75 minutes.
Once your lymphoedema is deemed stable and your GP can provide you with compression garments on
prescription, you may be ready for discharge from the lymphoedema service. If this isn’t possible because you require made-to-measure compression garments, you may need to attend a six-monthly
review and re-measuring for new compression garments.
Patients will be required to pay for garments of a special nature that cannot be arranged by the GP.
Lymphoedema treatment at Saint Catherine’s is available free of charge to those who have cancer-related lymphoedema and as a fee-for-service to those with non-cancer related lymphoedema.
For session fees, to book your initial assessment or for more information, please call 01723 351421 or call into the Wellbeing Centre and speak to one of our staff.
We can only accept referrals made by your GP, Consultant or Specialist Clinician.
Sessions are offered at our comfortable and welcoming Saint Catherine’s Wellbeing Centre, Throxenby Lane, Scarborough YO12 5RE.
Onsite parking is available free of charge.
We are pleased to announce that we are now offering our Bereavement Support Service to the wider community and region. This service has previously only available to the families of our patients.
Bereavement often brings emotional pain, significant change, and many practical challenges. Most people find it difficult initially, but then ‘find their feet’ and manage to carry on and adapt. Some find it an overwhelming struggle and despite their best efforts, don’t experience their grief healing or life moving in a positive direction.
For people who run into difficulties, we are here to help, to find a path to healing, and to develop the resilience to cope.
What we offer
Everyone referred to us for Bereavement Support, is first assessed by a member of our team to determine their individual needs; after which, we are able to suggest the most useful and appropriate option for them. These include:
Monthly Bereavement Group
This group is designed to provide a confidential, casual, and supportive environment for people to talk about and hear from others concerning their experiences of mourning loss.
The group helps build confidence in coping so that individuals can settle into a healthy journey of mourning. Participants are invited to attend twelve group meetings.
One-to-one counselling
One-to-one counselling is also available for people experiencing significant difficulties, or where attendance at a group meeting is not considered suitable. This type of support is also available for children aged five years and older.
Our dedicated team of experienced volunteers assist us in delivering this service. They offer up to six counselling sessions, usually fortnightly, which provide an opportunity for talking though difficulties, being heard and understood, and for growing in the ability to face the future positively.
As well as offering our bereavement support services for free to relatives and carers of our patients, we are now able to offer our Living Through Loss and Counselling programs to any member of the public, as a fee for service.
How we can help
After an initial session to assess and advise on the kind of support that might be most helpful to you, we may suggest Individual Counselling face-to-face or using online video.
Of course, it may turn out that all you need is the initial session to have someone reassure you that your
experience and your way of coping is normal and headed in the right direction. We are here to help you
decide on the best course of action.
With children we generally invite a parent or parents to attend a session to assess whether a child can benefit from counselling.
Often, we find that we can equip parents with knowledge sufficient to support their children through
their grief.
However, if a child needs counselling, we can tailor sessions to suit their age and particular needs.
Where are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered at our comfortable and welcoming Saint Catherine’s Wellbeing Centre, Throxenby Lane, Scarborough YO12 5RE.
Onsite parking is available free of charge.
For session fees or to make a first assessment appointment contact us on 01723 351421 or call into the Wellbeing Centre and speak to one of our staff.
Every effort has gone into ensuring the session fees are affordable for the majority of people. Counselling sessions can also be spaced out fortnightly to spread the overall cost.
Download Program Information
If you would like to download the information above in leaflet format, you can do so here.
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