Respite Care
Respite care is an opportunity for young people and their families to meet and make new friends and enjoy using the fantastic facilities at the Hospice.
During their stay children and their families can access the local amenities or just enjoy a period of rest and relaxation, catching up on much needed sleep.
Respite is arranged to cater for a family’s particular needs. Some of our young people come alone and are cared for by our friendly professional care team. Staff are drawn from many backgrounds and include Registered Children’s Nurses and Registered Adult Nurses, Nursery Nurses, Social Workers, Speech and Language Specialist, Play and Creative Therapists.
We try to provide care as the parents or young people wish. Our care is guided by the family.
Respite care allows parents to have a break from their normal routine and spend time with the child’s brothers and sisters.
In providing our service the emphasis is on fun, relaxation and the highest quality care.
Who can stay?
In Francis House children are able to stay on their own or with their parents. Siblings can also stay with their brother or sister, with or without mum and dad.
In Francis Lodge young people are able to stay on their own or with a sibling or friend of a similar age.
How is respite care booked?
Families are sent a booking form on an annual basis to enable them to have some choice in their dates for respite. Children and young people will usually have their respite visits spaced throughout the year and will stay at the Hospice from one to seven nights at a time depending on the family’s wishes. As you can imagine weekends and school holidays are very popular and unfortunately it is impossible to accommodate all requests during these peak times.
What do I need to bring?
The young people will need all necessary prescribed medication, equipment and aids for the duration of the stay, together with individual prescribed feeds.
All family meals are provided. We try to accommodate all dietary requirements, but if you prefer to bring your own food, our flats for families have fully equipped kitchens so you can prepare your meals or enjoy a takeaway.
Bedding, towels, bathroom products are all provided and we will do your washing so there is no need to bring washing powder!
"When Isabel comes to Francis House we all stay. Her two sisters and I stay in one of the family flats. I don’t really sleep when I'm at home in case she has a seizure. So when we come I can relax and sleep."
Isabel's mum Andrea
