Welcome to Living Well.

We know that when you’re affected by a serious illness you will have your own wellbeing and support needs, whether you’re a patient, carer, family member or someone who has experienced a bereavement. The Living Well service is here to support you and to help you find ways to enhance your wellbeing, which we hope, in turn, will enable you to live your life in a happier, more fulfilling way. 

What is Living Well?

The aim of Living Well is to enhance the wellbeing of people affected by a progressive incurable illness. Wellbeing means different things to different people and so our aim is to offer a programme of varied support and activities within which we hope everyone will find something right for them. 

The Living Well service is run by a multi-professional team across both Katharine House and Sobell House hospice sites. The team includes nurses, doctors, health care assistants, chaplains, social workers, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, and it’s supported by a team of volunteers. All of our team bring something different to the service and contribute to the varied program we provide.

Who is the Living Well service for?

The Living Well service is open to:

• anyone with a life-limiting illness
• carers and families of someone with a life-limiting illness
• and those who have experienced bereavement within the last two years.

Since the beginning of the pandemic we have been running some online activities and will continue these alongside some face-to-face groups.

If you're interested in registering for Living Well, please read this page.

Living Well at Katharine House

New referrals are now being welcomed by the Living Well team. This may be a self-referral or a referral from a healthcare professional (see below for more detail).

Following referral, you will be contacted by a member of the Living Well Team where you will be provided with further information about the service and may be offered an appointment for an assessment. We will try to find out what is important to you and how we can support you and meet your needs. Together, we will plan a programme of activity developed to specifically meet your needs.

The programme will continue to be centred around our Five Ways to Wellbeing, which we know enhance individual wellbeing. Our service users will also now be able to benefit from a greater range of services at both Katharine House and Sobell House (our sister hospice located in Oxford).

Living Well is for those living with a progressive life-limiting illness and is designed to equip patients with the holistic support and tools they need to help them live the rest of their lives with a sense of empowerment, purpose and wellbeing.

The services at both sites will be available to the full catchment area.

Living Well eligibility

Living Well is open to adults over the age of 18 who:

• have a progressive, life-limiting illness
• have a GP within the Katharine House Hospice and Sobell Hospice catchment area
• are independent with their mobility and personal care needs. If they are not independent with these needs, a carer will need to attend with them and will be expected to attend to these needs
• have needs that can be met by the programme offered

or

• are a carer to a person with a progressive life-limiting illness from within our catchment area with needs that can be met by the programme offered.

Referring to Living Well

• Self-referral: if you would like to find out more about Living Well and think you would benefit from the services we can provide, go to How do I register with Living Well?. Alternatively, please leave a message for our service administrator on 01295 228500 or email [email protected].
• External health professional referrals will be accepted via an online editable PDF. Go to How to refer patients to Living Well.
• Internal health professional referrals can be sent via an internal referral form on EPR. The referrer should also email the Living Well Team at  [email protected] to advise that a referral has been made. 

Five Ways to Wellbeing

The Living Well programme is based on the Five Ways to Wellbeing, these are five themes of activities that are known to enhance wellbeing and support people to live their lives in a happier, more fulfilling way. One of the themes might really resonate with you or perhaps a combination of them all. 

Click on any of the links below and you will find a number of ways to support your wellbeing. These are a combination of external websites, online activities and some online support being delivered by our Living Well team.

Connect …

… with the people around you. We know this hasn't been easy, but it is more important than ever to find ways to connect with others. Think of your family, friends and neighbours as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day. 

Ways to Connect

Be Active …

Step outside. Walk around your garden. Take an extra step. Climb the stairs. Move gently to music. Garden. Try an online exercise class. Walk across the sitting-room. Exercising, however big or small, makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy and that suits your level of mobility and fitness.

Ways to Be Active

Take Notice …

Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are out in the garden, looking out of your window, eating lunch or talking to friends on the phone. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.

Ways to Take Notice

Keep Learning …

Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Combat technology. Try cooking a new recipe. Explore a virtual museum. Listen to an interesting podcast. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun.

Ways to Keep Learning

Give …

Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Give someone a wave from your window. Join an online community group. Look out, as well as in. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you.

Ways to Give

Find out more about Katharine House Hospice

• To find out more about the work we do, read What we do or explore our For Patients and Families pages.
• To explore fundraising events, visit Fundraising events, Challenge events and Supporter events.
• To receive regular news about development at the hospice and fundraising events, please sign up to our digital newsletter.