Our care
Caring for a child with complex medical needs can place unimaginable demands on a family, both physically and emotionally. At Acorns Children’s Hospice, we understand that when time is short every moment is precious, which is why, as well as providing specialist palliative care, we help families to make lasting memories.
We provide a happy homely environment where children can experience all kinds of great activities, meet new friends, or relax and enjoy some quiet time. Our experienced, skilled staff take time to understand each child’s individual requirements, listening to any concerns and adapting activities according to their needs.
Making every moment count
Children have their own private bedroom and plenty of time to relax peacefully. Bedrooms have their own TV and DVD player, and there are plenty of storybooks (and willing storytellers!) for those who enjoy a good read.
Some other ways in which we make our care so special include:
- Enjoying a splash in our hydrotherapy pool, complete with coloured lights and music, for physiotherapy and fun
- Experiencing our multi-sensory room with lights, projected images, textured surfaces, and piped soothing sounds
- Creative sessions such as arts and crafts, drama, puppet shows, dance and music. We also have occasional visits from magicians, petting zoos, and theatre groups
- Our older children can play on consoles like the Wii, Xbox, and PlayStation
- Outdoor fun in the beautiful hospice gardens
- Having complementary therapies, including massage or other techniques
- Choosing a well-deserved treat, such as a soak in the bath, a late-night film and pizza, or a lazy lie in the following day.
Our specialist team
Children are in safe hands at Acorns Children’s Hospice. Our care is delivered by specialist in-house teams of registered children’s nurses, health care assistants, physiotherapists, family practitioners and volunteers. The hospices also have daily visits from local GPs and access to the expertise of our own paediatric palliative care consultant.
All our nurses are registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Council. They are the same trained nurses as you find in the NHS with a wealth of experiences from a range of different backgrounds such as general hospitals, community, intensive care units or schools.
Each hospice has a team of local GPs who have been working with us for many years and are available for the children as necessary 24 hours a day, as well as visiting or contacting the hospice every day. We also have access to the expertise of our own paediatric palliative care consultant, and seek to work in partnership with medical teams already providing care to the child and family.
Acorns is dedicated to learning and development, and we actively encourage and support all our staff to continually train and update their practice. We ensure that our care teams’ skills and knowledge are up to date and effective in the care they give through continual learning.
Our kitchen staff pride themselves in providing meals to cater for all different and varied tastes. Our staff will of course tailor meals to vegetarian, halal, and other specific requirements. Feeding tubes are a very normal sight at Acorns as many children in our care are unable to get their nutrition orally. The team are trained to manage various kinds of tube feeding.
Find out more
Learn more about the care services Acorns provides, our hospices, our commitment to safeguarding and how we work with healthcare professionals.
