Guidelines and Info

You can download our Moving and Handling Policy, and also the Day Booking Guidelines for Helen House.

Booking Guidelines for Helen House and Douglas House

1. After initial assessment children and young adults are allocated a number of nights of respite care each year and this can also include some day visits. The allocation of nights for new children and young adults runs for 12 months from the month following their first stay. Nights cannot be carried over to the following year, although in some circumstances where a booking has been cancelled by the hospice we may be able to consider this. In exceptional circumstances appeals will be considered by the Director of Clinical Services and up to three nights may be carried over to the next year.
2. Each child or young adult’s allocation will be reviewed annually at a Care Review Meeting and/or if there is a change in a child of young adult’s condition. If it is evident that the allocation needs to be adjusted this can be done in consultation with the contact(s) or key workers from the Care Team who will have been identified for each new family. Sometimes a child or young adult is discharged from Helen and Douglas House if their prognosis has improved significantly.
3. Bookings can be requested through any care team member, either while the family is staying, by email or by phone. These details will be put on the Booking Request Form and processed by a “panel” who confirm the booking with the family by phone, email or by letter. We aim to do this within fourteen days. Email bookings will be acknowledged by an automated email so families are made aware that we have received the email. The bookings email address for Helen House is HHbookings@helenanddouglas.org.uk or Douglas House is DHbookings@helenanddouglas.org.uk.
4. Some people request short stays whilst others enjoy taking a longer break.
5. It is the parents’ or young adult’s responsibility to bring with them the completed and signed Medication Administration Record (MAR) form provided. All drugs must be properly labelled with a pharmacy dispensing label and sufficient only for the child’s or young adult’s stay. Extra drugs can be supplied at Helen or Douglas House should the need arise. Parental or self-administration for over 16 year olds of most drugs is possible on request. If, for any reason, this presents a problem, please ring a few days before the planned stay to arrange to speak to one of our doctors, who will complete the necessary records over the telephone.
6. Both Helen and Douglas House have three categories of bed. Please see the definitions and numbers below:

   Douglas House operates	Helen House operates
   4 respite beds	5 respite beds
   2 flexi beds	2 flexi beds
   1 emergency bed	1 emergency bed

7. We know that respite is very important to the children, young adults and their families that we provide care for, however we also have an important role in providing specialist palliative care and end of life care to families. This has always taken priority, moreover we have recently noticed that the need for this type of care is increasing so we have increased our number of flexi beds in both of the houses to be able to accommodate people when they most need us.
8. An emergency bed is a bed that is used for acute symptom control or end of life care.
9. A flexi bed is one which can be bed that can be booked for a respite admission but if the emergency bed in is use and another emergency is referred to us then the child or young adult in the flexi bed may be cancelled or sent home.
10. Wherever possible we will not cancel a respite visit, however they may have to be cancelled at short notice due to an emergency admission but this is only after all other options have been discussed. Families may also be offered accommodation in a shared flat.
11. Bookings may be made up to eight months ahead, but ideally no more than three bookings should be requested at a time. If however, there is a special event that the family needs to plan for, we need to know in good time. We are often booked up at least 8 weeks in advance so if you have specific dates we do advise you to get your requests in promptly.
12. As we need to be fair to all our families, a maximum of half your allocation can be taken in the school holidays and for Helen House at weekends. The remaining nights therefore need to be taken during the week in term-time. If a summer holiday booking has been taken one year, this may not be possible the following year.
13. NB: HOLIDAY TRAVEL SHOULD NOT BE BOOKED UNTIL THE RESPITE BOOKING HAS BEEN CONFIRMED (USUALLY BY LETTER OR EMAIL) AS WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT THERE WILL BE A BED AVAILABLE FOR YOUR CHILD OR YOUNG ADULT.
14. If a stay is cancelled at less than 2 weeks’ notice by a family or young adult or a person does not turn up for a respite stay and there is not a medical reason or good reason for this, the nights will be deducted from the person’s allocation.
15. The allocation of nights offered to a child or young adult is for planned respite care. If help is needed because of an emergency or stepped discharge from hospital, this will not be taken from the allocation but will be in addition to it. For non-medical emergencies, requests will be looked at on an individual basis.
16. For respite stays families are asked to arrive between 15:00 and no later than 17:00; this allows enough time for children and young adults to be seen by one of the doctors and for us to complete paperwork. On Fridays we may (depending on the number of children or young adults in house and staffing) be able to accommodate admissions after 12.00 if parents or carers are planning to go away; please ask about whether this is possible when making your booking.
17. On the last day of a visit, families are asked to depart by 11.00 (except on Sundays at Helen House when they are welcome to stay until after lunch).This is essential as it allows the house teams to clean the rooms and prepare for the next families due to arrive, late departures may be discounted from the respite allocation.
18. It is possible to be flexible about admission and discharge times in special circumstances. Confirmation of the time of arrival will be discussed with each family: late arrivals, especially those after bed time are not always in the best interest of the child or young adults or family and maybe the next day will be more appropriate.
19. Accommodation for families consists of two flats In-House at Helen House and two flats at No. 17 Leopold Street, (just across the road from Helen House) and 3 family suites at Douglas House. As our occupancy is often high in both houses, we cannot always guarantee accommodation. Whilst we will always try to match family accommodation where the child or young adult is staying we cannot always guarantee it and families may be offered accommodation in the other house. We always seek to accommodate emergency admissions as a priority. In such an event there is a possibility that pre-booked family accommodation may have to be cancelled.
20. Priority for the In-House flats or suites is given for first visits or emergency admissions: No guarantee can be given to families coming for respite as to which flat they will be allocated and individual family needs will be considered. If desired, a parent’s bed is available in the sick child’s or young adult’s bedroom.
21. A flat for parents or siblings who have disability is available at No. 17 Leopold Street and the Pacific Suite at Douglas House.
22. We appreciate that some families like to plan visits together and that the children and young adults like the company of others the same age. If possible, bookings are made with this in mind.
23. Helen House and Douglas House is closed to respite visits at certain times due to training days, refurbishment, themed weekends and remembrance days; but will remain open for emergencies at all times.
24. Doctors are on call on Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays for emergencies only and will endeavour to see all respite visitors within 24 hours of arrival.
25. Helen and Douglas House operates a no smoking policy, however there are designated smoking areas outside of each of the houses, please ask a member of staff if you would like to know where these are.
26. All children and young adult’s clothes must be labelled to try and prevent them getting mislaid. We cannot be held responsible for lost belongings. A clothes list will be sent to you to fill in prior to admission to save time at admission. Please bring own toiletries in with you for the admission. You can download the Helen House list here, and the Douglas House list here.
27. We welcome any comments you have about your stay. Satisfaction surveys are available in both houses and we appreciate the time you spend filling these in.
28. Activities out of house such as a visit to the cinema or museum need to be funded by the child or young adult.