About Harris HospisCare with St Christopher's
Harris HospisCare aims to:
- Identify the needs of people with a life threatening illness, and those of their carers
- Support those people and their carers
- Liaise with professionals and carers to enable continuity of care
- Share the knowledge and skills of palliative medicine
- Support those who are bereaved
So that people in its care can:
- Live their lives to the full
- Remain at home as long as possible
- Die where they wish with dignity
These objectives are achieved through delivery of the charity's services which include:
- Home care
- Home support
- Day hospices
- Hospital teams
- Patient and family support including bereavement practitioners
- A lymphoedema clinic
Although most patients the charity helps have cancer, it also supports some with Multiple Sclerosis and Motor Neurone Disease. Many patients are elderly and some live alone and therefore they are amongst the most vulnerable members in the community. Harris HospisCare also has a FOCUS group for younger patients and offers support to children through its Patient & Family Support team. A great deal of work is delivered through the goodwill of volunteers from all walks of life and of all ages from within the local community. They are backed up by a specialist clinical team and professional administrative and fundraising staff.
Our history
Harris HospisCare was established in 1984, taking up residence in an unused World War 2 hut at Orpington Hospital and the first paid employee was appointed as secretary and co-ordinator of fundraising events. The Medical Care and Family Support team was soon set up and the first patients were referred by local GP’s and hospital doctors. 1989 saw the opening of the Harris Day Hospice in new hutted accommodation and also our first charity shop.
Over the next few years we went from strength to strength with the addition of night sitting services and a Lymphoedema Nurse, expansion of the bereavement service, acquisition of our first ambulance and the purchase of more portacabins to house the growing team. The number of home visits increased every year as did the number of vital volunteers that make our services possible.
In November 2001 planning permission was granted to build a permanent palliative care centre on the existing site at Orpington Hospital and soon after a capital appeal was launched to fund the £3.7 million centre. The team had to move to temporary accommodation in Petts Wood whilst the building work took place. September 2004 saw the completion of Caritas House on time and under budget! The official opening took place in March 2005 by HRH, The Duke of Kent, KG, 21 years to the day since it all began!
A range of new services have been introduced in 2005 including a carers group and the Rosetta Life Project.