St Luke's

Reviews

• All saints!

  This hospice is one of Sheffield's pride, a private hospice, primarily for those terminally ill and most often with cancer. It sounds a terrible place to be but that couldn't be further from the truth.From arriving to the doors the differences to other services are obvious, the building has a positive atmosphere. The staff are welcoming and friendly and you begin to relax a little.The building is comfortable and cool, there are some of the usual items, hard wearing chairs, practical tables and muted prints on the wall but it's quite inviting.The standard of care is fantastic, the nurses are happy to develop an emotional relationship, treating each person with kindness and getting to know them, their likes, dislikes, fears and loves and most of all their needs. Not just needing medication or a particular diet, but needing a manicure to help them feel human, to see a hairdresser to make them feel pampered.... and those services are offered.The visitors are looked after too, everyone is respected and left to spend time with the person they are visiting, there are no difficult staff asking you to leave for rest hour or lunch, they let the resident make their own mind up.There are nice wards and there are also very nice private rooms, for those most ill or who are nearing death so their family can be private. You can hear the sounds of birds singing, especially first thing in the morning and it's a nice sound in such a place.There's also a lovely coffee lounge for those visiting or those..... waiting. Drinks and nibbles and comfortable chairs and sofas. There is a large fish tank which is well placed in there and it opens out onto a verandah which adjoins the wards and overlooks the gardens.Part of St Luke's fundraising is the switching on of the lights, a regular Christmas event where a donation can be made in the name of a loved on and a light will be lit in their name.It's a hugely emotional experience and an incredible tribute.There's been some recent altercations about St Luke's moving residency to a public park which was donated to the people of Sheffield and the city council are possibly going to sell them the land. But it isn't theirs to sell and St Luke's may not have painted the picture in the most honest light.Car parking at the current building is lousy.However, the recent news in Sheffield is that the council have granted a licence to move to new premises nearer the city centre. My understanding is that the building has been in similar use before and stands in the S2 area, from 2009/2010, the address may well have changed.

  Happyjaw
  Review Date: 02/08/2008 Report review