Martlets @ Home

Ginny O'Reilly. Martlets @ Home

The Martlets @ Home service takes the specialist skills of the medical, nursing and other support staff out into the community to work with people in their homes. A team of experienced Registered Nurses and Auxiliary nurses provide the care at home. The team also have the medical back up from the Hospice’s medical Consultant.

The service gives patients and families the confidence and choice to make the decision of where they want to be cared for during the end stage of life.


This service enables seriously ill patients to continue to live at home surrounded by family and friends, and to receive the best possible palliative nursing care. This also includes personal care for patients. As in the main hospice, the Martlets @ Home Team works closely with family members, trying to support their needs.

Who is eligible for Martlets @ Home care?

Permanent residents within Brighton & Hove and the Havens, aged 18 or over, with a diagnosis of cancer or any other illness, which requires specialist palliative care can be referred to the service. These include:

· Patients who wish to die at home.

· Patients in hospital who wish to return home to die.

· Patients on the Martlets waiting list whose care needs are increasing.

· In-patients at the Martlets who need a 'trial of discharge' with maximum support to see if a return home is a tenable option.

Who refers patients to the service?

District Nurses, General Practitioners, members of the Macmillan Community Team and the Hospital Macmillan Nurses may refer people directly to the service. All referrals are planned and co-ordinated to provide optimum levels of care.

How much does the service cost the patient?

The service is free to patients, as are all the Hospice services. The Martlets Hospice is a registered charity and is continuously dependent upon financial contributions from the local community in order to sustain its services.

For how long is the Martlets @ Home service provided?

Patients referred and admitted to the Martlets @ Home service have their situation reviewed after 1-2 weeks. Subject to this review, patients may be 'discharged' at this point. It is difficult to accurately predict prognosis, so should a patient's condition stabilise, the care program is reviewed after consultation between the patient, District Nurse and Martlets @ Home team.

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