remote companion service
We create space for genuine connection beyond physical distance. Through unhurried phone or video conversations, our hospice companion service brings together people living with life-limiting illnesses and volunteers who understand that listening matters even when it can’t be in person.
What We Offer
Our PALLIATIVE CARE companions
Our hospice companions offer their full presence to those who want social contact or wish to discuss personal matters from home. For people living far away or those finding travel difficult due to their health, these conversations help lessen the isolation that can sometimes accompany life-limiting illness.
Spending time with a companion offers both a space to share concerns and the warmth of friendly conversation that brightens the day. Our companion service is available via phone or video call—whichever works best for you—and welcomes both patients and their friends and family.
“Having access to the remote companion service means that I am not alone and am getting help. I have a safety net, somebody to talk to – I feel understood.”
Making a referral
We welcome referrals from adults with life-limiting conditions and palliative care needs.
Anyone can make a referral – be they a patient, friend, family member or healthcare professional.
There’s no catchment area: places are offered according to need, not postcode.
All of our services are offered completely free of charge.
A few days at the hospice: Paula’s perspective
In this short video, Paula shares her experience of respite care at Skanda Vale Hospice, describing mornings where you can wake when you want, beautiful gardens to walk through, and evenings spent on the balcony watching birds.
She explains how care is shaped around what each person wants to do that day—from having a bath to enjoying meals together—comparing the experience to ‘better than a five-star hotel.’