When You Need Us Most: IHF Extends Information and Support Line Opening Hours
Irish Hospice Foundation’s (IHF) Information and Support Line, launched in October 2024, has seen increased demand for information and support around dying, death and bereavement, with a significant rise in public interest in advance care planning through their Think Ahead planning pack.
Extension of Line Opening Hours
The genesis for the Information and Support Line was IHF’s Dying Well at Home Focus Group Report published in 2023, which clearly indicated that families and carers felt that there was insufficient access to information about key services and supports for people caring for loved ones at end of life. One of the key outcomes of the report was the development of an information and support freephone service to better support families, healthcare workers and the wider community.
In the last 12 months, the Information and Support Line service has seen the following trends:
Almost 500 enquiries.
One in four calls are from healthcare/professionals (in hospitals, nursing homes or in the community).
Almost one in three (32%) of calls occur out of operating hours (9am to 1pm).
In response to this increasing demand, the Information and Support Line is now open from 9am until 6pm five days a week from Monday – Friday instead of 1pm closure. The line can be reached by calling Freephone 1800 60 70 66 or by emailing support@hospicefoundation.ie
Callers to the Information and Support Line have expressed satisfaction with the service. Some of the sentiments communicated by callers to the line are as follows:
“Thank you. I found your service really helpful, informed and pleasant.”
“Thank you for responding so quickly, for being so kind and helpful in a difficult time. Huge gratitude to you and Irish Hospice Foundation.”
The Information and Support Line also enables IHF to identify where gaps exist within the community in end-of-life information and services and to then develop responses to address information gaps. This also provides IHF with the opportunity to highlight and advocate in areas where provision of service gaps are identified.
“The Information and Support Line delivers essential information to people facing into the challenges of navigating end-of-life for themselves or a loved one. We’ve seen an increase in demand from both the public and healthcare professionals availing of the service, so we’re delighted to have the capacity to extend the Information and Support Line opening hours to meet this need”.
“Access to information is a key factor in ensuring that the person and their family have the opportunity to make informed choices and are empowered to communicate what supports they want at end of life. Over the last 18 months since the Information and Support Line was launched, we’ve seen an increased need for the service. I am very proud of what’s been achieved so far and also that we can respond to the rising demand for the service. There is clearly a sustained increase in the need for more information and support around death, dying and bereavement in Ireland and with our ageing population, this demand will continue to rise in the coming years”.