Introduction

Shipston Home Nursing was launched in June 1997. The idea came about from a district nurse in Shipston called Charlie Wells, whose sister died of cancer in May 1992. Penny Birtwell lived in Cherington with her husband Andy and 2 small children George and Beatrice. She remained at home untill her death with the terrific support of her amazing family and friends. This was her wish and the experience for all concerned was life changing. From this experience, Charlie realised the enormous need for a service "Hospice at Home" to cover our local community. She moved forward with the help of local doctors from the Medical Centre at Shipston and local businessmen and friends. A board of Trustees was created, a Treasurer sourced and a target of £50,000 was set for the first year.

Our Chairman, Dr Chris Thorogood is based at Shipston Medical Centre. Our Treasurer, Chris Owen, lives in Cherington and the secretary for the Trustees is James Little from Shipston. Our board of 12 Trustees all live within our catchment area and are responsible for the charity.

Palliative Care

Shipston Home Nursing provides palliative care through its team of professional nurses.

Palliative care is the active, total care of patients whose illness no longer responds to curative treatment and who wish to have the best quality of life for themselves and their families.

Palliative care is now a widely recognised form of specialist medical care, focusing on the control of pain and other symptoms associated with a terminal illness. Above all it endeavours to ease suffering and enhance the quality of life for both patient and family.

In itself, palliative care neither hastens nor postpones death and pays equal attention to meeting the physical, pyschological, social and spiritual aspects of care.

A Truly Local Charity

Hospice at Home is provided free by Shipston Home Nursing which is a registered charity administered by a Board of Trustees. It relies on the generosity of those supporting it.

• Gifts, legacies, contributions or covenants from patients, relatives, friends and other supporters.
• Sponsorship or donations from Trusts and businesses.
• Reimbursement of monies from Private Health Insurancies.
• Fund-raising activities by local groups and individuals.