Our impact
Thanks to our amazing supporters and funding partners, all of our care is provided free of charge to patients, families and carers across 300 square miles of South Devon. We are there for people day and night, throughout the year.
Each year 2,500 patients and those closest to them receive Rowcroft’s care and support. In the last year:
- 1521 patients were referred to our Community Services Teams. Patients received from expert advice and support and were helped to maintain their independence and wellbeing. Some patients and their loved ones were referred to multiple services including specialist nursing, complementary therapy, bereavement and support, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, social work, music therapy and art therapy.
- 255 patients were cared for in our Inpatient Unit in Torquay.
- 552 patients in their last few weeks of life received care and support at home from our Hospice at Home Team.
- 180 referrals were made to our Social Work Team.
- 161 referrals were made to our Bereavement Support Service.
- 409 referrals were made to our Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Support Service.
- 369 people benefited from Art, Music and Complementary Therapy Services.
- 928 health and social care professionals enhanced their palliative care knowledge by attending Rowcroft-run educational events and courses.
- 35,698 individual face-to-face and telephone contacts were made by our Community and Hospice at Home Teams.
- More than 80% of Rowcroft’s patients were cared for in their own homes, as per their wishes.
Our vision
To make every day the best it can be for patients and their families living with life-limiting illnesses in South Devon.
Specialist care
Rowcroft’s clinical and supporting teams work tirelessly to continue to deliver compassionate care to our patients and families across South Devon. Our expert teams pride themselves on putting patients’ needs and choices at the heart of everything they do. Our care strongly reflects Rowcroft’s core values of respect, generosity of spirit, teamwork, honesty and integrity.
What our patients and families say…
“Exceptional end-of-life care.”
“It was just being led and hand-held. They made a very sad and stressful situation so much easier.”
“It has been humbling to have experienced the level of care and communication. So many dedicated, kind and human professionals.”
Our services
As a charity, we offer our services free of charge to adults with a life-limiting illness in South Devon.
- Our Community Team offers a range of services including expert care by clinical nurse specialists and doctors to support patients in their own home or care home, helping them to remain as independent and comfortable as possible and offering vital support and advice to loved ones.
- Our Hospice at Home Team offers 24/7 nursing care and support to patients in their last two weeks of life in their own home or care home.
- Our 12-bed Inpatient Unit in Torquay offers care for patients whose complex needs, such as symptom control or end-of-life care, cannot be met in their home or care home.
- Our occupational therapists and physiotherapists help patients maintain and improve their mobility and independence, and ease pain.
- Our social workers offer advice and support in a wide range of areas including housing, benefits, child welfare and advance care planning.
- Our complementary therapists provide services such as reflexology and massage to reduce stress and anxiety.
- Our music therapists supports patients’ wellbeing by helping them to connect to and express feelings and emotions through music.
- Our Bereavement Service staff and volunteers offer support to those who are bereaved, helping them to adapt and cope with the enormity of their loss and to face the future ahead.
- Our Education Team provides award-winning training in palliative and end-of-life care to local health and social care professionals.
- Our Spiritual Care Specialist provides support to patients and their loved ones, and the Sanctuary offers an inclusive space for quiet reflection.
Making the most of precious moments
Chemotherapy had helped to keep Marlies’ cancer in check, but when her health took a further turn for the worse, Marlies spent her last two weeks as an inpatient at Rowcroft Hospice.
“The loving nurses did everything they could to make Mum comfortable, and to be there for my dad and the rest of the family,” says Dean, Marlies’ son. “The care she received from everyone at the hospice, and the fact that nothing was too much trouble, really hit a cord with her. I remember her telling Dad she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
With Rowcroft’s support, Marlies was able to make the most of the time she had with her family, especially her granddaughter. Through support that included physiotherapy, Marlies was able to manage her pain and free up her movement so that she could pick up and cuddle her granddaughter and enjoy the baby’s giggles and hugs until the end.
A huge thank you to our volunteers
Rowcroft’s marvellous volunteers are vital to the smooth-running of the hospice and we simply couldn’t operate without them.
Each year, around 350 regular volunteers donate their time to Rowcroft. Their essential contribution takes many different shapes and forms – from volunteering in our shops and cafés, to offering support to patients and their families, lending a hand in our hospice gardens and offices, and even looking after Rowcroft’s bees! In addition, several hundred more volunteers help out at our fundraising events.
“I’ve benefitted from volunteering by learning new skills, attending Rowcroft’s excellent induction programme and feeling as though I am doing something worthwhile. If you have some spare time to help your local community, then I’d recommend Rowcroft as a great place to volunteer.”
– Elaine, Volunteer at Rowcroft’s Wellswood Boutique
Supported by a fantastic team of volunteers, Rowcroft has 16 South Devon shops and cafés, that raise vital income for the hospice.
Our wonderful community
As an independent charity reliant on the goodwill and generosity of others, we couldn’t do what we do without the fabulous support of our local community.
We’d like to thank all the brilliant groups, organisations, clubs, businesses and individuals who support us. Support manifests in so many inspiring and creative ways, with our amazing fundraisers moving mountains to raise crucial funds for the hospice. Over the last year, they have leapt into action through fundraising activities such as opening their gardens to the public, beekeeping, taking part in wing-walks, cycling rides, marathons and skydives – not to mention all the hundreds of people who took part in our events or ran their own.
We’d also like to thank all those who support us in so many other ways including through: regular monthly donations; legacies; supporting Rowcroft’s shops, boutiques, cafes and online stores; playing our lottery; and donating to our appeals.
A huge thank you also to all the local and national grant-making trusts who recognise the importance of our work and provide much-needed funds.
The urgent need for care
With an increasingly ageing population that is set to rise by 50% over the next 15 years, the demand for Rowcroft’s care has never been greater.
Rowcroft currently cares for around one in three people with life-limiting illnesses across South Devon, yet we are striving to expand our care to reach more people. We are, however, facing considerable challenges due to a number of factors including: escalating running costs due to the rising cost of living and the hike in the price of fuel, food and other goods; increasing pressures facing our clinical teams; and a fall in public donations caused by the financial squeeze felt by people across South Devon and the UK.
“As a charity funded predominantly by the generosity of our local community, it’s crucial for us to continue to raise much-needed income to care for our patients and families. Our community’s support at this time is essential so that we can continue to deliver our expert care to more families who need us.”
– Vicky Bartlett, Director of Patient Care, Rowcroft Hospice
