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Access care services

Learn more about our clinical care and nursing services, including specialist nursing and support workers, overnight respite stays at Christopher's and other key services. To access any of these services, please contact our Family Support Team.

Family Support Line

Our Family Support Line is available Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm

Our team of Family Support Workers are on hand to answer your call. Whether you need advice or support, have questions about an event or respite, want to be referred for counselling or therapies, book a service, or would just like someone to talk to, we are here for you. You can contact us by telephone or email.

Nursing services

Symptom management and community nursing

Our Symptom Management and Community Nursing Team is available seven days a week, 24-hours a day. They provide expert nursing advice over the phone and in-person medical care, including the management of difficult and complex symptoms.

Our teams work alongside you and your child to help co-ordinate the wide range of professionals involved in your child’s care and ensure that your wishes are at the centre of care provision and decision making.

Our symptom care is led by Dr AK Anderson, a consultant in Paediatric Palliative Medicine and a team of clinical nurse specialists trained in symptom management.

We work in collaboration with specialist teams at the Royal Marsden Hospital, Evelina London Children’s Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital to provide expert medical and nursing care.

Respite care at Christopher's

Short notice respite stays Allocated based on clinical assessment of need and availability

Short notice respite stays are provided to help you deal with unexpected situations, such as your child’s main carer being taken ill, deterioration of your child’s condition, major facilities failure at home or if you yourself as the main carer are struggling emotionally and / or physically.

Planned stays Allocated based on assessment via Local Authority or Integrated Care Boards (ICBs)

Planned respite stays can provide you with much needed time to rest. Stays at the hospice can give you the opportunity to leave your child in a safe environment where they will receive the specialist care they need, as well as lots of opportunities to socialise, to engage in activities and have fun utilising our specialist facilities. Currently we are able to allow one parent to stay in a family flat, so that you can enjoy time together.

Wellbeing support

Learn about our services to help with mental health, including counselling and complementary therapies. Contact our Family Support Team for more information on how to book sessions.

Useful resources and information

Resources for families

We have created these resources, which includes activities that everyone in the family can share in together, building memories, resilience, and well-being.

Entertainment for children

Our pick of resources and fantastic activities to keep children entertained at home – from the Science Museum to Cosmic Yoga Kids YouTube channel and many more.

Music Our top apps

Music is so important to the children and siblings we support. Here are some apps to help children express how they feel.

Useful information and advice

Wider support we offer, plus information on local government services and a range of other useful charities.