3 minute read
Together we care
Ted, aged 12
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Zoe, mum to Ted
It’s only thanks to the wonderful generosity of the local community, businesses and individuals like you that we can be there for the growing number of children and families that depend on our care.
GROWING AWARENESS IN WILTSHIRE
Over the coming months, we’re running our Together We Care Appeal in Wiltshire in a bid to raise greater awareness of our care in the county. We hope to bring more of the Wiltshire community together to raise the essential funds needed to provide a lifeline of care for local families. And we’d love to have your continued support in sharing our vital work with others.
The number of children with life-limiting conditions has tripled in England in the past two decades. And it’s anticipated that the demand for care will continue to grow, as scientific and medical advances mean that more children with increasingly complex needs are living for longer.
However, we’re currently raising £1m less in Wiltshire than we need to run our hospice and our critical service throughout the county each year.
We want to be there for every local seriously ill child and family that needs us. But we can only do this by raising awareness and caring together.
Find out more and get involved at juliashouse.org/together-we-care
OUR LIFELINE OF CARE
For the families that we care for, every goodbye or kiss goodnight could be the last. With your support, our nurses and carers give families the chance to make the most of their time together and help them through moments of despair.
Each hour of clinical, emotional and practical care we provide helps families to feel less isolated and exhausted, and relieves the pressure of providing round-the-clock care for a child with hugely complex needs.
And when a child passes away, our nurses and carers continue to be there side-by-side with families to help them navigate the grief and trauma of the unthinkable in the days, months and years that follow.
Thank you for helping us to always be there when we’re needed. 2013 JULIA’S HOUSE LAUNCHES IN WILTSHIRE
A small home-based care service was launched for families in South Wiltshire. Demand for respite care was much higher than anticipated, including a significant number of oncology referrals from Salisbury District Hospital. Our Director of Care, Claire HudsonCooper, was one of the original nurses in this pilot.
2018 LANDMARK CARE MILESTONE PASSED
More than 1,000 nurse and carer sessions were provided in the county during this year.
2020 CHANGES TO CARE IN LOCKDOWN
Working on the frontline alongside the NHS, Julia’s House helped vulnerable children stay safe and well at home, relieving the pressure on local health services. Our care was 100% community based and we continued to support families throughout the pandemic, when other services stopped. 2016 EXPANDING OUR COMMUNITY CARE
Our Wiltshire care team expanded to reach families throughout the whole county. Today, families receive 200 hours of respite care per year, completely free of charge.
2017 JULIA’S HOUSE OPENS FIRST CHILDREN’S HOSPICE IN WILTSHIRE
With generous support from the community, we opened the only children’s hospice building in Wiltshire. Here, children and their families can receive care, play and thrive in a safe, welcoming environment.
2021 AND THE FUTURE
The first six months of 2021 were the busiest ever for community respite in Wiltshire. We’re now welcoming children and siblings back to our hospice, and we’re planning more flexible opening hours to make it even easier for them to come. We’re also expanding our care team in response to the growing needs of local families.
