Kate’s Home Nursing was formed when Kate King, a resident of Stow on the Wold was unable to remain at home being cared for during her final days of life because there was no national or local provision to enable this. Sadly for Kate, even though her needs were fairly simple, her wishes could not be accommodated and she died in a local cottage hospital.
‘A step of blind faith’
However, Kate left a challenge; in her will she bequeathed a dresser to be sold and the proceeds to be used to create a charity to provide for others the care she so desperately wanted. Kate’s advice to the friend tasked with this was to ‘take a step of blind faith’ and so, with the help of some local people and Stow Surgery, in November 1996 Kate’s Home Nursing was formed.
When the charity began, we looked after patients registered with Stow on the Wold surgery. In 1999 we began to accept referrals for people living within 15 miles of Stow, in Bourton on the Water, Northleach, Moreton in Marsh and Burford. In 2011 we stretched that boundary again to 20 miles and incorporated Winchcombe surgery.
During the first few years our patient numbers were minimal, 2-3 a year and grew slowly; in 2001 we received 11 referrals. Also in 2001 the decision was taken for us to provide nursing care 24 hours a day. Since then our service has grown and developed whilst remaining a service for our local communities.
Today
Kate’s Home Nursing is now a thriving local charity, employing the services of registered nurses to care for people in their own homes through the last stage of illness, offering support and care for the patient, their family and carers. In addition to nursing, we offer respite care, bereavement support and some holistic therapy. Today, we provide approximately 6000 hours of nursing care each year for around 160 people, plus bereavement support for families, friends and carers of patients we have nursed.
Our intention is to remain a local charity, looking after local people so it is unlikely that our area will be increased again, although we will continue to consider how we can develop the services we offer within our area.
We receive some support from official sources, but still have to raise about 85% of our funds ourselves and so depend on the wonderful generosity of the people, mainly local, who support us through donations, legacies and fundraising events.
