Why is Dove House Hospice such a necessary part of the Hull community?
Anna Wolkowski: While there are other providers of various aspects of specialist palliative care in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire, DHH is the only provider which offers a full range of multi-disciplinary services to patients with life limiting illnesses of any kind. These include inpatient, outpatient, therapy and support services, Drop-In and psychosocial services. The care we offer is based on need rather than diagnosis and we accept referrals from any source including the patient themselves. DH is perceived as a core service by the local PCTs as the service we provide is not provided anywhere else. As other palliative care services have developed in the community, a clear role has emerged for the hospice in terms of caring for those whose needs could simply not be met elsewhere ie complex pain and symptom control, dual diagnosis and patients and families with special needs that require intensive psychosocial intervention.
