Pilgrims Hospice at Home service brings the skills and expertise of our team of highly-trained professionals – doctors, nurses, therapists, counsellors, spiritual care team and more – straight into your home to support you during the days of life.

Your family, friends and carers can also access the support they need at this difficult time.

We provide the high level of care you’d find on the ward, in the comfort of your own home. We work to provide a flexible service so we can respond to your personal needs and wishes.

We can support at end of life with pain management, symptom control, physical care and emotional support. We also offer crisis management.

We work closely with other health and social care providers including your GP.

What we offer

This flexible service is available in homes across east Kent, including nursing and residential care homes, prisons and relatives’ homes.

Our Hospice at Home visiting service usually operates between 7.30am and 9.00pm.

Pilgrims Hospice at Home gives you access to the high quality, compassionate care you need in the place you most want to be.

Unlike visiting services provided by our other community services, Pilgrims Hospice at Home service is available on the same day it has been requested. You still have access to the support of the wider hospice services and inpatient units if needed.

Knowing what to expect: a guide for patients

As you reach the end of your life, you may have a range of concerns.

It can be very hard to talk about these but knowing what to expect can help you make the most of the time you have.

Pilgrims and EKHUFT have written a short End of Life Care guide for patients to help you with some of these conversations.

The booklet offers guidance on who can help if you are being cared for at home and what to expect in the last few days of life.

It also supports you to think about issues such as choosing where you want to be cared for, sorting out unfinished business and getting financial help.

You can download the guide here, or if there is anything you want to talk through with one of the Pilgrims team our patients and their carers can call our 24 Hour Advice Line day or night.

Contact Pilgrims Hospice at Home nurses

The Hospice at Home team can be contacted direct through Pilgrims Hospices 24 Hour Advice Line for patients and carers 01233 504133.

The team which answers these calls during office hours can help you with queries and book you an appointment with a Specialist Nurse.

If you need urgent advice about your symptoms, ask to be put though to our on-call specialist nurse.

Please note this is not an emergency service. For urgent medical attention please contact your GP or attend the emergency department.

To access this service

This service is for people who have been referred to Pilgrims services and have expressed a wish to die at home.

If you are a Pilgrims patient please speak to your care team about this service. If you are new to Pilgrims, the first step is to speak to your GP or Healthcare Professional about a referral.