When people think about hospice care, they often picture a nurse at a bedside.
While nursing care is an important part of what we do, hospice care is about much more than any one person or profession. At Hospice Whanganui, care is provided by an integrated team working together to support patients and whānau through life’s final chapter.
Care Built Around Patients and Whānau
At the heart of Hospice Whanganui is Te Hau Awe – our patient- and whānau-led model of care.
Rather than expecting people to fit into a system, we work alongside each patient and whānau to understand what matters most to them. Our role is to provide the support, expertise, and care needed to help them achieve their goals, wherever possible.
This approach means every member of our team plays an important role.
More Than Nurses and Doctors
Hospice Whanganui’s integrated team includes Registered Nurses, Health Care Assistants (HCAs), doctors, Whānau Support staff, volunteers, and support teams who work together to ensure patients and whānau receive coordinated, compassionate care.
Each person brings unique skills and expertise, but all share the same goal – supporting the physical, emotional, practical, cultural, and spiritual wellbeing of the people we care for.
Working Together Every Day
Providing specialist palliative care requires collaboration.
Team members communicate regularly, share information, and work closely together to ensure care remains responsive to each patient’s changing needs. Whether someone is receiving support at home, in an aged residential care facility, or in our Inpatient Unit, the focus remains the same: providing seamless, patient- and whānau-centred care.
This joined-up approach helps ensure patients and whānau feel informed, supported, and confident that everyone is working towards the same goals.
The Important Role of Health Care Assistants
One of the unique strengths of Hospice Whanganui is the role played by our Health Care Assistants.
HCAs spend significant time alongside patients and whānau, providing hands-on care, practical support, companionship, and continuity. Through these close relationships, they help ensure care remains personal, responsive, and centred on what matters most to each individual.
Their contribution is an essential part of the holistic support Hospice Whanganui provides.
Supporting the Whole Whānau
Hospice care extends beyond the patient. Our Whānau Support team works alongside families, providing emotional support, practical guidance, advocacy, and connection to community resources. They help people navigate difficult conversations, changing circumstances, and the many challenges that can arise when someone they love is seriously unwell.
By supporting both patients and those closest to them, the Whānau Support team helps ensure care remains holistic and truly whānau-centred.
Stronger Together
No one person provides hospice care alone.
Behind every patient and whānau is a network of dedicated people working together – sharing knowledge, supporting one another, and ensuring care is delivered with dignity, compassion, and aroha.
It is this integrated approach that allows Hospice Whanganui to provide specialist palliative care that honours choice, supports whānau, and reflects the values of Te Hau Awe.
Because when it comes to caring for our community, it truly takes a team.