The Kirkwood is playing a key part in the fight against coronavirus across Kirklees. We are working day and night to offer critical support to the healthcare sector at this difficult time, making sure that the most vulnerable people in our local communities continue to receive the very best, compassionate care.
We’re working hard to provide essential care for the people of Kirklees
Throughout the coronavirus crisis, our Nurses are working out in your local community to support patients in their own homes across Kirklees. And our In-Patient Unit nurses, doctors and healthcare professionals are working 24 hours a day to make sure the patients and families in our care receive the very best care.
We have made a number of changes during the past two years in order to protect our vulnerable patients, as well as our nurses, doctors and the wider healthcare team.
To make it easy to find out how our services have changed, we’ve added the latest updates about individual services to the drop down list below. Simply click on the area you want to find information about and it will display on the screen.
Latest Guidance (as of Monday 23rd May 2022)
Our guidance for visitors wcan be found below. We will continue to review our guidance regularly.
Our In-Patient Unit – Information for Visitors
Our latest visiting guidance was updated on Monday 23rd May 2022.
Restrictions on visiting patients in our In-Patient Unit have now been lifted. This means that there are now no limitations on visting hours or the number of visitors a patient may receive. VIsitors are no longer required to take a Lateral Flow Test (LFT) before visiting the hospice.
The Kirkwood remain committed to protecting our vulnerable patients and members of our workforce and we will continue to take Covid-19 precautions outside of government guidelines. Government guidance is available from from the government website at: www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-for-hospices
On entry to the building please apply hand gel and wear a face mask provided by The Kirkwood. Please ensure you wear your face mask at all times. Before entering the In-Patient Unit, please ensure you sign in at Reception and sign out when leaving. You are also signing to declare that you will comply with The Kirkwood COVID-19 safety measures.
Please note: Following admission to The Kirkwood, patients are not permitted to come and go from the unit unless for arranged hospital visits/appointments.
If you are feeling unwell, please do not visit the hospice
Please do not visit the In-Patient Unit if you are have tested positive for Covid-19, and please refrain from visiting if you are living in a household where Covid-19 is present or if you are feeling unwell.
Symptoms to be aware of include:
a continuous cough
a high temperature
fever or chills
a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell
shortness of breath
unexplained tiredness
lack of energy
muscle aches or pains that are not due to exercise
loss of appetite or not feeling hungry
headache that is unusual or longer lasting than usual
sore throat
stuffy or runny nose
diarrhoea, vomiting or severe nausea
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms but your visit to the hospice is essential, please speak with the nurse in charge prior to your visit.
If you become unwell within 48 hours of visiting The Kirkwood In-Patient Unit we kindly ask that you inform the nursing team as soon as possible so they are able to be vigilant for symptoms on the unit. If you have been unwell, please wait until you have been free of symptoms for 48 hours before visiting
If you have any questions with regard to the above please do not hesitate to ask a member of the team.
Please wear your face mask responsibly
When visiting the hospice building, we ask that you continue to wear wear a face mask at all times. Failing to wear your face mask correctly puts your loved one and our teams at risk. You can help keep our patients safe by making sure your mask is covering your mouth and nose at all times. Any exceptions to wearing a face mask must be discussed with the Sister or Nurse in charge.
Care in people’s own homes – Our Community Palliative Care service
Our team of specialist Nurses are continuing to support patients across Kirklees and are available 7 days a week. The team are undertaking assessments via home visits, virtual consultation and telephone. If you have any queries, please contact the team on: 01484 557 910
Our Support & Therapy Service
Support &Therapy services continue to offer a limited virtual calendar that varies from month to month.These sessions are suitable for anyone affected by a life limiting illness, including carers. Click here to find out more.
The team are now delivering information sessions in the community; at the moment in GP surgeries in different areas of Kirklees. We are delivering in The Valleys Primary Care Network (Holmfirth, Slaithwaite, Meltham etc.) and have started to deliver sessions in the Spen Health and Wellbeing Network (SHAWN), primarily basing ourselves at Brookwood Surgery in Heckmondwike. We are currently working with The Mast Primary Care Network to see how our community sessions could be delivered closer to people in the HD8 area.
Support and Therapy is just one of the services from The Kirkwood that can support anyone affected by a life limited illness. Individuals can self-refer to our services by phoning: 01484 557 910 or can be referred by any health professional.
Bereavement & Counselling - The Kirkwood Counselling Team
The Kirkwood Counselling Team are once again offering face to face counselling sessions at the Dalton site. The team are also continuing to provide telephone support, pre and post bereavement, to ensure that patients, carers, relatives, and friends are still able to access support if they are unable to travel. Please note that we only accept referrals from people who are bereaved through a life threatening illness. The same criteria applies to patients, relatives and friends for pre-bereavement work.
If you would like to speak to us about making an appointment, please call the team on: 01484 557 908
Care Co-ordination and our 24/7 Clinical Advice Line
To support our Community Palliative Care Team we have a Care Co-ordination service. This service helps to co-ordinate the needs of our patients and support them with additional services they may need. The team are also a point of contact for you. We know that many of our patients are vulnerable and shielding at the moment, so in anticipation of the increased support our patients will need at this time we have increased the number of people working in this service.
Our Clinical Advice Line is available 24/7 to provide help and support whenever it is needed. If you need advice or support at any time, please call: 01484 557910
How are we making sure we're Covid-19 compliant?
We are committed to ensuring the safety of our patients, visitors, employees, volunteers and members of the public across both the hospice site and our retail shops. We are fully compliant with all government advice and regulations, and we're actively monitoring guidance so we can implement changes effectively.
We have undertaken Risk Assessments for each of our shops, and for various activity at the hospice, including the use of volunteers. Where possible, non-clinical employees are working from home indefinitely with ongoing support from their line managers. Employees that are required to work on the hospice site are adhering to social distancing where appropriate and we have introduced social distancing signage and extra hand washing points. We have also introduced social distancing signage, one way systems and extra hand washing points in all of our shops.
