The J's Hospice is an emerging hospice, developed through the drive and vision of the local community to see enhanced support for young adults with life limiting conditions. Our aim is to offer all young adults aged 18 to 40 with a life limiting illness the choice to receive the care and support that they need in the comfort and security of their own home. We are also raising money for our own building which will offer in-patient beds. There is currently only one hospice in England that caters for this group, based in Oxford. The J's Hospice will provide an uplifting and supportive environment where young people will be encouraged to live life to the full, however short their lives.

The J's@Home is our service providing care and support to the patient and their family within the comfort or their own home. We aim to have this service up and running by summer 2010. The J's will employ a small team of trained nurses and Health Care Assistants who will provide practical nursing care and specialist advice and support. This care can be provided in the patient's own home or to enable the young person to socialise. When developed, the J's will work closely with each patient's family, General Practitioner and District Nurse, alongside all other services that may be involved in providing care.

Beverley Barclay is our Director of Nursing. Beverley has been in palliative care for 19 years and will establish the J's@Home service. To find out more about The J'S@Home or to contact Beverley directly please call 01245 351515 or email bev@thejshospice.org.uk.

The J's Hospice will provide care and support to young adults with life limiting conditions. The Hospice will be registered with the Care Quality Commission and meet their standards. The J's will offer medical, psychosocial, educational and spiritual care within an age appropriate environment. The young people will always be involved in making informed decisions and choices regarding their treatment.

The J's will offer medical, psychosocial, educational and spiritual care within an age appropriate environment. The young people will always be involved in making informed decisions and choices regarding their treatment.

Life limiting conditions:
1. Life threatening conditions for which curative treatment may be feasible but can fail. Palliative care may be necessary during periods of prognostic uncertainty and when treatment fails. Eg. Cancer, irreversible organ failure of heart, liver, kidney.
2. Conditions where there may be long periods of intensive treatment aimed at prolonging life and allowing participation in normal childhood activities, but premature death is still possible. Eg. Cystic fibrosis.
3. Progressive conditions without curative treatment options, where treatment is exclusively palliative and may commonly extent over many years. Eg. Batten's disease, muscular dystrophy, mucopolysaccharidosis.
4. Irreversible but non-progressive conditions with complex healthcare needs leading to complications and likelihood of premature death. Eg. Severe multiple disabilities including severe cerebral palsy.

Our vision is to provide the very best care and facilities for young adults with life limiting conditions who use The J's in age-appropriate surroundings.The J's will provide emotional support for the young adults and thier families and carers. Ultimately, there will be medical, nursing and emotional support during the last days of the person's life and bereavement support for families and carers. There is no hope of cure for the young adults the J's will care for, and this will underpin the philosophy and level of care that our services will provide. It will also reaffirm the idea that life, however short, is for living to the best of a person's ability, to have fun, feel good, laugh and be who they want to be.

Our mission is to provide palliative care for young adults with life limiting conditions, to give the best possible quality of adult life, as independently as possible. We will provide this care both in the patients' own homes and in a purpose built hospice.

The population of young adults with life limiting conditions is growing due to improvements in medical care and improved technology. These young adults are normally discharged from children's services by the age of 19 and there are very few dedicated services for young adults. A children's hospice environment may not be suitable for someone who is over 18, but often, adult hospices are not the right environment either. Nationally, it is recognised that there is a lack of age appropriate facilities. It is acknowledged that there is a wide variation in availability of services across the country, in particular access to short break care that is appropriate for young adults.

The J's has been formed in memory of Jonathan Whiffin who was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the age of 3 years. Jonathan used children's hospices from the age of 14 to the time he died. Jonathan was a fun-loving, outdoors typical teenager who enjoyed socialising with people of all ages. His greatest love was dolphins and our logo represents this. During his teen years, his mum Denise realised there was a dire need for hospice and respite care once young adults outgrew children's hospices. Whatever their circumstances, young adults have the right to expect equality of access to the physical environment and all other aspects of society.