Services

The Admiral Nurses at Dementia UK provide information, advice and support with any aspect of dementia.

The specialist dementia nurses offer free and confidential support via the Helpline for you when you need help.

This free service has been commissioned to support adult carers. 

The offer includes:

• One to one information and support to carers 
• Support via phone, text, email or face to face visits including home visits
• Groups and activities for carers
• Help to get Carers Trust grants
• Referrals to carefree breaks
• Free SIM cards

The offer in Southend includes funding for breaks for carers, support to help carers to access their own appointments and one-off respite break funding.

Age UK provide information and support on financial, legal, health and wellbeing for older people. They support via their advice line, befriending service and day centres.

The Alzheimer's Society dementia advisors can help people living with dementia and their carers. They can provide practical help and emotional support via the telephone support or the online community connecting those in similar situations.

Asthma + Lung UK provides help for those living with lung conditions.

There is support available using the telephone helpline or the email address above.

Bereavement Support available with a bereavement counsellor online: https://www.ataloss.org/live-chat

A community pharmacy which stocks common palliative medicines to support people being cared for at home

Address: 55-57 Eastwood Road, Rayleigh, SS6 7JE

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8.00am to 9.00pm. Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm. Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm.

The team deliver specialist care for palliative and end of life care at home, complex care at home e.g. chemotherapy management of Hickman/PICC lines and support to those who are housebound within their own home including residential homes.

Bereavement Advice Centre provides practical help when you need it most. They support and advise people on what they need to do after a death.

A community pharmacy which stocks common palliative medicines to support people being cared for at home

Address: Blackwater Medical Centre, Princes Rd, Maldon, CM9 5GP

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 7.00am to 10.00pm. Sunday 10.00am to 6.00pm

Bliss offers a wide range of free services for the families of premature and sick babies including a video call support service.

The support group is a way to learn more about living with a lung condition and share your experiences and stories with others.

The British Heart Foundation provides information on heart and circulatory diseases.

Patients and carers can get support through the online support groups and communities, advice and guidance about heart and circulatory conditions and managing risk factors.

The British Lymphology Society provides a directory of Lymphoedema treatment services.

Use the website address above to find your local services.

A community pharmacy which stocks common palliative medicines to support people being cared for at home

Address: Queensway Surgery, 75 Queensway, Southend On Sea, SS1 2AB

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 8.00am to 11.00pm. Sunday 10.00am to 8.00pm.

The Childhood Bereavement Network (CBN) is the hub for those working with bereaved children, young people and their families across the UK. Support is provided by the network members.

Offer a telephone support service for bereaved young people up to age 25, their families/ carers or individuals or families who have lost a child. 

Child Death Helpline is operated by a dedicated team of volunteers who are all bereaved parents. The helpline provides support to a parent who has lost a child of any age, under any circumstances, and however recently or long ago, we’re here to help. They also offer support to grandparents, siblings and the extended family, as well as professionals who have been impacted by the death of a child.

The Children's Community Nursing Team (CCN Team) provides clinical nursing care for children and young people with complex and ongoing clinical health needs in the community. The team cares for children and young people between the ages of 0 – 18 years who would need to return to hospital or their GP for their health care needs.

The Children’s Community Nursing Team consists of nurses who have specialist training and experience in the care of sick children. We provide a vital link with other professionals to provide holistic care to children and their families.We aid in preventing hospital admission and supporting early discharge by teaching and supporting families to manage their child’s condition in their own home.

The Children's Community Nursing Service provides nursing care for children and young people with a health need in their own home or the community and includes training and support for families and carers. The primary aim is to prevent hospital admission, attendance and length of hospital stay through supporting a family to care for their child at home or within their local community.

This service covers Mid Essex excluding Halstead.

A community pharmacy which stocks common palliative medicines to support people being cared for at home

Address: Mace Avenue, Off Rayne Road, Braintree, CM7 2AE

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8.30am to 7.00pm. Saturday 9.30am to 1.00pm.

CRUSE Bereavement care helps people through bereavement with support, information and campaigning.

A community pharmacy which stocks common palliative medicines to support people being cared for at home

Address: 1065 London Road, Leigh-on-Sea, SS9 3JP

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8.00am to 11.00pm. Saturday 8.00am to 9.00pm. Sunday 8.00am to 11.00pm.

Fair Havens Community Team provides assessment, support advice and care for people wishing to be cared  and supported in their locality community setting. Support is available for those in care homes.

The team is available 24 hours a day, at the end of the phone, for advice and support, to arrange additional home visits. Visits to Fair Havens Hub, the Rapid access service or In Patient Unit is also available.

The Bereavement team supports family members, friends, children and carers through pre and post bereavement. The support is available to anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one who was cared for by the Hospice. 

Referrals may be made either by a patient or carer, or any professional directly involved in the patient’s care. Anyone making a referral must have the consent of the patient.

Fair Havens In Patient Unit provides assessment and management of physical symptoms that are proving difficult to control, such as pain, nausea, vomiting, and breathlessness. Respite care is also available for short stays enabling their carers to rest and recuperate. There are 8 beds in the unit.

Some patients may only require a stay for a few days before going home again. Some people choose to receive hospice care several times during their illness, depending on their condition and their wishes.

Fair Havens Hub offers a wide range of facilities, activities, and therapies to enhance wellbeing, help people live independently with their condition for longer and help make the most of life:

• Physiotherapists can help with a range of symptoms through groups and individual sessions
• Occupational Therapists can help with rehabiltation, assessment and advice
• Wellbeing and spiritual support for patients, their carers and family members

Farleigh Helpers is a telephone support and befriending service available to everyone in the community. The service is avialable for anyone in need of someone to talk to. 

Helpers offer regular friendly calls to listen, converse and if required signpost to information that may be of use. The service operates between Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm regular weekly chat of up to 30 minutes can be arranged or just get in touch as the need arises.

CIRCLE Adult Bereavement Support provides help to bereaved adults in mid Essex, regardless of the cause of death or where the individual died. Each person is affected differently by bereavement, and the aim is to help with the impact of grief and provide support.

The advice line provides access to a member of the hospice team who is able to give advice on symptoms, nursing care and other needs relating to life-limiting illness and available between 8.00am and 8.00pm, 7 days a week.

Please call the advice line when:

• advice is needed regarding hospice care and support
• advice or information is needed regarding the management of symptoms
• concerns about symptoms that need to be addressed before your next scheduled visit/appointment
• reassurance is required for someone who is anxious about a change in their condition

The specialist Inpatient Unit (IPU) is located in the hospice building in Broomfield, Chelmsford. It provides short-term care for patients needing symptom control, respite, rehabilitation, or end of life care.

There are 10 comfortable rooms, all with Freeview TV, phones, internet access, en-suites, as well as their own private patios, overlooking our beautiful gardens. One of the rooms is specifically designed for young people and their families. 

The team include Clinical Nurse Specialists, Registered Nurses and Health Care Assistants. They are experts in pain and symptom control and provide:

• Specialist Physiotherapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Complementary Therapy
• Social Work
• Counselling 
• Family Support Practitioners

The Farleigh Hospice Spiritual Care team is led by the Chaplain and a team of volunteers, who come from a range of faith and non-faith communities. 

Support for people of all faiths and none are available  for patients, family, friends, and carers and the team are open and inclusive to all wishing to receive spiritual care.

Yo-Yo is a community bereavement service for children and young people aged 4 to 18.

We offer a range of support options including:

• 1 to 1 support
• Counselling
• Music, Art and Play Therapy

There is a legal requirement that a death be registered within five working days. It is important to let the Register Office know if the funeral is to be held within 24 hours. The person registering the death must be able to provide some basic details of the person who has died. Please take the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the Register Office. It is also helpful to take the person’s birth and marriage certificates, passport or NHS Medical Card, although they are not essential.

Use the web link above to find your local register office by entering your postcode.

Grief Encounter is a national charity offering a free helpline and online support for children and young people wishing to access bereavement support.

They also offers counselling support in classrooms, online or at their premises in North London. A referral form is available on their website.

A community pharmacy which stocks common palliative medicines to support people being cared for at home

Address: Hassengate Medical Centre, Southend Road, Stanford-le-Hope, SS17 0PH

Opening hours: Monday 8.00am to 10.30pm. Tuesday 7.00am to 10.30pm. Wednesday to Saturday 8.00am to 10.30pm. Sunday 9.00am to 10.00pm.

The team provides internal and external end of life care education.

The Wellbeing Team provides wellbeing and spiritual support for patients and families who have been referred to Little Havens or Fair Havens.

The Information & Guidance Service team can help people access, understand, and navigate health, social care and wellbeing services in mid and south Essex.

Healthwatch Southend provides information, advice and guidance about health and socal care services in Southend.

The team captures the experiences of people using NHS and social care services, which is fed back to the NHS and City Council to influence improvements in services.

The Hospice Rapid Access Service is a 24 hour services for people with a primary health need, who are rapidly deteriorating, and likely to be entering the terminal phase of their illness. 

Havens Hospices, St Lukes Hospice and Farleigh Hospice work together as a collaborative to ensure consistency of care across all of Mid and South Essex.

The Hospices will assess the care needs of the patient and source care that meets the holistic needs of the patient.  This could be care in the home, on an in-patient unit, or in a Nursing Home.

Havens Hospices – havenshospices.rapidaccess@nhs.net (Southend, Castle Point and Rochford)

Farleigh Hospice -  contactteam.fh@nhs.net (Chelmsford, Maldon and the Dengie, Braintree and the surrounding areas)

St Luke’s Hospice - Stlukes.oneresponse@nhs.net (Basildon and Thurrock)

Hospice UK can help find a hospice, provide infromation and support about end of life care and guidance to plan ahead.

Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service has counsellors that understand the specific issues raised by bereavement within a Jewish context. This service is sensitive, aware and knowledgeable about social, cultural and religious needs.

Little Havens provides specialist care and support for babies, children and young people requiring specialist in-patient care for symptom management, respite and end of life care.

St Luke's Hospice provide bereavement support to children and young people up to 19 years of age, who are experiencing a bereavement or have a family member or friend with a life limiting illness.

The Lullaby Trust raises awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), provides expert advice on safer sleep for babies and offers emotional support for bereaved families.

LymphConnect is an online platform developed to help manage lymphoedema or lipoedema, understand more about the condition, share experiences and get support and advice.

Macmillan provide cancer information, support and help everyone with cancer live life as fully as they can.

Visit the website to get help with paying bills, advice on benefits or treatment, or to just chat.

Marie Curie provide support for patients and carers through terminal illness.

Find information and support through the telephone helpline and online chat via their website.

Other services include Marie Curie nurses, Hospice care, helper and companion services.

The Muslim Bereavement Support Service supports Muslim women who are facing bereavement and/or are bereaved. They will speak with Muslim men and signpost them to appropriate bereavement support. 

A community pharmacy which stocks common palliative medicines to support people being cared for at home

Address: 9 Ingrave Road, Brentwood, CM15 8AP

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 7.30am to 10.00pm. Saturday 9.00am to 10.00pm.

Pumping Marvellous offers support to help people live well with heart failure, to recognise the early symptoms and self-interventions through their community hub.

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity supports families who have a child aged 0 to18 years with a life-threatening or terminal illness.

Samaritans provides a 24 hour, 7 days a week advice line.

The Hospice at Home team offers blocks of care to people in their last few weeks of life. The blocks are usually between two and four hours and in some circumstances the blocks can run sequentially to provide a dying person with almost 24 hour care. The Hospice at Home team offers care for 7 days a week. 

Counsellors and psychotherapists can help with a variety of psychological issues, anxieties or concerns. 

The team can help with pre and post bereavement support for children and young people

Complementary therapies can help control symptoms and help to deal with day-to-day life.

The therapies available are:

• Aromatherapy
• Massage
• Reflexology
• Mindfulness
• Reiki

For patients requiring specialist in-patient care for symptom management and end of life care.

OrangeLine offers confidential telephone support for local people to make connections, start new friendships or simply provide guidance and information.

Telephone support is available Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm for people of all ages.

Support for people of all faiths and none are available  for patients, family, friends, and carers and the team are open and inclusive to all wishing to receive spiritual care.

The patient therapies team help with a range of symptoms through groups and individual sessions to help managing pain and symptoms.

The team consistes of:

• Physiotheraphy
• Occupational therapy
• Complementary therapy

The St Francis Hospice's referral hub can be accessed by those facing a life limiting condition. 

Please refer a patient or making a self-referral to access hospice services.

Social workers offer a wide variety of support to patients, carers, family and loved ones.

The team are clinical specialists that are experts in pain and symptom control.

Urgent advice ia available 24 hours, 365 days a year.

St Luke's Hospice Carer's Support Coordinator will discuss a wide range of practical advice, financial advice, training and emotional support, as well as ways to look after yourself whilst in your carers role.

They also offer a variety of support groups – both virtual (online) and face to face

St Luke's Hospice Clinical Outpatients offers convenient, accessible and specialist key clinical procedures and palliative care, in a relaxed environment with appointments to meet your wellbeing and lifestyle needs. 

Key clinical procedures offered to outpatients:

• Advance Care Planning clinics
• Ascetic and Pleural drainage
• Blood product transfusions
• Clinical Nurse Specialist symptom management clinic
• CVC line care
• Intravenous fluids
• IV Bisphosphonates infusions
• IV Iron Infusions
• Long term condition clinic – supporting heart failure, renal and liver conditions
• Venepuncture

The service opening hours are 9.00am to 5.00pm.

St Luke's Hospice community service provides assessment, support advice and care for people wishing to be cared  and supported in their locality community setting. The team also provide support in care homes, the hospice's rapid access service and there is the provision of clinical nurse specialists.

St Luke's Hospice provide specialist in-patient care for symptom management and end of life care.        

There are a total of 7 beds and 1 emergency bed in Basildon.

Hospice Rapid Access Service (HRAS) with 6 Beds in Thurrock.

St Luke's Hospice Physiotherapy team can help when living with a life limiting illness.  Specialist Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists will listen and assess to support independence and aid mobility to manage symptoms and positively impact quality of life and wellbeing.

Family and loved ones are also supported in their caring roles. Advice, guidance and techniques on how to safely move and handle someone when caring for them can be accessed through conversation with the Physiotherapy team.

The offer includes:

• individual assessments to help provide appropriate equipment, e.g. mobility aids
• personalised treatment plans including non-drug pain relief treatments and exercises to improve mobility, independence and balance
• treatments to assist with shortness of breath, fatigue or insomnia
• group exercise classes and confidence building

Rehabilitative care is also provided by our Occupational Therapy team. 

The Dove Community Counselling Service team at St Luke's Hospice offer bereavement support to adults living with a life limiting illness, from diagnosis through to end of life or into survivorship. 

Bereavement support is also available to those who may have experienced a bereavement from suicide, sudden, traumatic or accidental deaths, or within the last 5 years due to a life limiting illness.

St Luke's Hospice provides the specialist Lymphoedema care team could provide care to you if you are living with primary Lymphoedema, secondary Lymphoedema and Lipoedema. The team can provide clinical expertise, support and practical help for those with any these conditions and live across South Essex.

St Luke's Hospice Wellbeing team offer information and support following an individual assessment.  Flexible care and support programmes are avialble and include: 

• therapeutic interventions
• complementary therapies (such as aromatherapy, hand and foot massage, reflexology and reiki)
• creative therapies
• group sessions to help with emotional support
• referrals to other Hospice departments to support you

Stillbirth and neonatal death (Sands) is the leading stillbirth and neonatal death charity in the UK. They ensure that anyone affected by the death of a baby receives the best possible care and support for as long as they need it. 

Sands provides bereavement support services both nationally through its Freephone helpline, mobile app, online community and resources, and locally through a UK-wide network of around 100 regional support groups. 

The Foundation is a worldwide organisation, American based, whose purpose is to promote awareness, fund research and serve those affected by sudden unexplained death in childhood.

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide are a national charity providing dedicated support to adults who have been bereaved by suicide. The volunteers come from all walks of life but nearly all have been touched by suicide themselves, this experience enables them to connect with others.

A community pharmacy which stocks common palliative medicines to support people being cared for at home

Address: Princes Road, Chelmsford, CM2 9XW

Opening hours: Monday 8.00am to 10.30pm. Tuesday to Friday 6.30am to 10.30pm. Saturday 6.30am to 10.00pm. Sunday 10.00am to 4.00pm.

The Bereavement Journey runs an online course three times per year for anyone in the UK who isn’t able to access an in-person course near to where they live, or who would prefer an online course.

The Compassionate Friends (TCF) is a charitable organisation of bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents dedicated to the support and care of other similarly bereaved family members who have suffered the death of a child or children of any age and from any cause.

Get support using the telephone helpline or online support groups.

The Good Grief Trust helps all those affected by grief in the UK and brings bereavement services together, to ensure that everyone receives the tailored support they need to move forward with their lives.

The trust is run by the bereaved, for the bereaved and aim to normalise grief and raise awareness of the impact of grief on a national platform. 

Together for Short Lives have a helpline and family support hub to provide help and advice foir those caring for a child with a serious illness.

A community pharmacy which stocks common palliative medicines to support people being cared for at home

Address: Solar Superstore, 12 Weavers Court, Halstead, CO9 2JN

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.30pm. Saturday 9.00am to 1.30pm.

The wellbeing team offer a range of life-enhancing therapies, help with accessing benefits and local services. They provide emotional, mental health, social, and spiritual support.

Widowed and young (WAY) is a UK charity that offers a peer-to-peer support network for anyone who's lost a partner before their 51st birthday – married or not, with or without children, inclusive of sexual orientation, gender, race and religion.

Winston's Wish is a national charity offering a free helpline and online support for children and young people wishing to access bereavement support.

They also provide resources and further training for schools and healthcare professions.

Young lives vs Cancer support those under 25 with cancer, and their families, to get the help they need during their cancer treatment and beyond, including bereaved families living with emotional pain. 

Young Minds is a national charity which supports both young people, their parents and loved ones through loss.