St Helena Hospice's SinglePoint service celebrates 10 years

For the past decade, a 24 -hour phone line has given a listening ear to people living with incurable illnesses, and clinical nurse manager Nichole answered its first call.

She wasn’t sure what to expect, but ten years after launching the new service she couldn’t imagine a time without it.

Saturday marks the tenth birthday of the SinglePoint helpline, which was launched by St Helena Hospice in 2013.

First call - SinglePoint clinical nurse manager Nichole Hockett (Image: St Helena Hospice)

Expert nurses trained in palliative care are at the end of the phone to give advice and support, and rapid response nurses or other professionals may visit people in crisis at home day and night.

It provides a single point of access to information and help for local people with, or caring for somebody with, an incurable diagnosis and a prognosis of less than 12 months to live.

Within seven months of the hospice, in Barncroft Close, Highwoods, Colchester, launching the service, operators had answered more than 13,000 calls.

The demand was so great the team quickly made the decision to expand the service to be available around the clock, and over the decade has been dubbed a lifeline by the patients, families, and carers who access the support.

Reflecting on the first call, Nichole reminisced: “The phone rang and we each said ‘you answer it, no you answer it!’.

“We were really excited about the new service and didn't really know what to expect by the first person calling. What were they going to be calling about? How were we going to help them?”

'I'll never forget my first call'

Her colleague Felicity Callely, a nurse, also remembers the nervous feeling that came over her as the phone rang.

Nurse - Felicity Callely answered SinglePoint's second call (Image: St Helena Hospice)

“I’ll never forget that first day,” she said.

“It was a really complex call and somebody was very distressed and in pain. I could hear them in the background and I was so glad I was there to help.”

More than 45,000 calls were answered by SinglePoint last year, resulting in 1,588 rapid response home visits.

How does SinglePoint work?

Nicky Coombes, matron of St Helena’s Hospice in the Home service, said the nurses at the end of the phone work closely with colleagues across the organisation.

She explained: “We also work closely with GPs, community and district nurses, and other health and social care professionals, to help the families get the support they need, where they need it, when they need it.”

The service is open to anyone aged 16 and above in north east Essex or the Colne Valley who is living with an incurable illness as a patient, family member, or carer, regardless of if they are already under the care of the hospice.

Clinical nurse specialist Ross Chirgwin, who was also on the first shift, feels privileged to be able to give people reassurance during times of need.

Friendly voice - clinical nurse specialist Ross Chirgwin (Image: St Helena Hospice)

“I don't think I saw how needed this service was until it actually started and developed,” he said.

“Previously in the community people facing incurable illness had multiple numbers to call and it was very confusing for them, so setting up the SinglePoint service to have one telephone number has just been amazing.

“A big part of my role now is visiting patients with very complex needs and people who need urgent symptom control.

“There's a sense of relief when I turn up at someone’s home; I’m there to take over the situation and for them it’s knowing there's someone there to help.”

SinglePoint is available 24 hours a day seven days a week on 01206 890360.