Katharine House Hospice provides specialist palliative care for adults with an incurable illness across north Oxfordshire and south Northamptonshire.

Hospice care is for anyone over the age of 18 years who has an advanced life-limiting illness. At Katharine House, the care is delivered by a multi-professional team who have specialised in this field and take a holistic approach, considering physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs.

We also recognise the importance of those close to our patients. Family and friends are affected too and they may have lots of concerns and questions that we can answer and support.

How we care for you

We provide our care through a wide range of services.

Inpatient services

At the hospice, we have ten beds, arranged in two spacious four-bedded bays (men and women have separate accommodation). The care is led by consultants in palliative medicine and specialist nurses.

“In the last two days of his life and when his death was approaching fast, we were moved into a private room, including amazing views and room for the whole family. We had privacy but never felt alone day or night.” 

Community services 

Our community clinical nurse specialists specialise in palliative care in the community. Our hospice community services enhance the care already available in the community and not everyone needs to visit the hospice itself. Many people prefer to stay at home or in their usual place of residence during their illness and this is where our nurses can support you.

Living Well services

We offer a programme of support and activities designed to enhance the wellbeing of people affected by life-limiting illness. The service is run by a multi-professional team, including a nurse, healthcare assistant, chaplain, social worker, physiotherapist and lymphoedema specialist nurse. Living Well also provides carer support.

Hospital support 

Our team of two specialist doctors and a Clinical Nurse Specialist work alongside hospital teams in the Horton General Hospital. They provide support with physical, practical and emotional matters.

Bereavement support

We take referrals from family and friends following a bereavement. Our trained volunteer bereavement support workers will always try to meet your needs through a relationship that is built on trust.

"Thank you seems so inadequate after all you have done. From the moment she arrived she felt secure and what a privilege to spend her final time there. The gardens, care and kindness were what she needed. We all felt comfortable being at the hospice and your care extended to us all."

The EPiC Resource Centre

The End-of-life and Palliative Care (EPiC) Resource Centre provides help and guidance for our patients, their families and friends and the wider community.

More than 50 pages provide support and information in the following areas:

• If you've been diagnosed with an incurable illness
• Finding out about hospice care
• If you're caring for someone with an incurable illness
• Financial support
• Planning ahead
• What to do when someone dies
• If you've suffered a bereavement
• Information for employers

The Resource Centre is a collaboration between expert research writers, clinical staff and service leads from across the hospice, providing practical and helpful information to support everyone who is learning to live with an end-of-life diagnosis and grief following a bereavement.

Throughout, you will find explanatory guides, downloadable PDFs and video content. Where relevant, we signpost to specialist organisations and charities, such as Age UK, Cruse Bereavement and GOV.UK, for further support.

Find out more

Partnership with the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH)

We work in partnership with the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH). This brings a number of advantages.

• We are able to protect the services that we provide to the community we serve.
• We continue to be here when people need us most, providing care when it is required, where it is required, be that in the hospice, in the home or in the hospital.
• We will remain at Katharine House, our home for the past 30 years, providing the highest standards of care.
• Patients and families will notice no difference in how care is delivered, and will receive the care they currently have from our clinical team.
• Our Living Well service will continue.

To find out more, please read our update on the partnership with OUH.

Fundraising is vital

More than ever, we desperately need the help of our community to ensure our vital services continue. It costs more than £4.7m per year to run every element of Katharine House Hospice. This equates to:

• £91,217 per week
• £12,995 per day or
• £541 per hour.

As Katharine House only receives a third of this funding from the NHS, we rely on our local community to help raise money to fund our hospice. Together, we need to fundraise nearly £13,000 each and every day to make sure we can continue to provide our vital care.

Without the support of the community, we couldn’t provide the physiotherapy or social work, the well-being relaxation classes, the specially made home cooked meals, the one-to-one social care, the bereavement support, the arts and crafts, the fun and laughter.

We couldn’t keep the heart of the hospice going without our wonderful network of supporters. We simply wouldn’t exist without the donations you give, the money you raise and the support you provide.

Please consider donating today.

Please donate here

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