Sacred Heart Health Service
Sacred Heart Health Service (Sacred Heart) is a leading provider of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation services. Opened by the Sisters of Charity in 1890 as a dedicated Hospice for the terminally ill, we have grown from a small palliative care cottage to a facility offering comprehensive rehabilitation services as well as specialist supportive and palliative care.
Supportive and Palliative Care
Our team provides palliative care services to patients with life-limiting illness. A consultation service is provided to St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney with patients and carers supported by:
- A 12 bed inpatient unit
- A 24 hour community and outpatient consultative service in Eastern Sydney
- Community/respite programs
Our services support patients undergoing anti-cancer treatments, and provide pain control and symptom management, nursing and psychosocial and pastoral support.
Sacred Heart also provides palliative medical outreach clinics to Wagga Wagga, Albury and Orange.
Community Palliative Care
The Community Palliative Care Team is a service for patients with a life-limiting illness. Our team works with palliative care teams from Prince of Wales, Royal Hospital for Women and the Sydney Children’s Hospital covering the areas of Sydney, Waverly, Woollahra, Randwick and Botany. Patients are referred for assessment and management at varying stages of their illness. We visit patients in their homes and in Residential Aged Care facilities.
For further information and to refer to the St Vincent's Community Palliative Care team, please click here.
Bereavement Services
Our palliative care services go beyond a person’s death, and continues to support families and friends in their bereavement. Sacred Heart provides a Bereavement Counselling Service to those suffering loss who are residing in Eastern Sydney. For more information, please click here
Research in Palliative Care
Sacred Heart is home to an active clinical research program, furthering the development of new management techniques of symptoms such as pain, nausea, constipation and breathlessness.
Rehabilitation
Our Rehabilitation Services provide complete patient rehabilitation following an illness, injury or surgery, helping patients achieve their maximum potential.
Our unit provides rehabilitation services 7 days a week and has a reputation for treating a diverse and complex range of patients.
Patients are transferred from St Vincent’s for rehabilitation, treating a wide range of conditions including:
- Stroke
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Orthopaedic surgery
- Organ transplantation
- Chronic pain
- HIV
Our team of professionals include medical staff, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, pharmacy staff, pastoral carers, dietetics staff and clinical and neuro-psychology staff.
Two rehabilitation physicians are dedicated pain management specialists who provide services to the St Vincent’s Hospital Pain Clinic.
Mobile Rehabilitation Team (MRT)
Our team provides rehabilitation services to patients in the acute wards of St Vincent’s where we work in collaboration with the acute care team to facilitate early intervention.
Rehabilitation Day Hospital
The Rehabilitation Day Hospital provides rehabilitation services to adults with complex conditions including stroke, neurological and progressive conditions, amputees, trauma, and reconditioning following transplantation, surgery and medical illness. The majority of patients come from home and are admitted for day therapy consisting of a minimum of 2 Allied Health sessions per visit. We offer clinical psychology, neuropsychology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, social work and speech pathology.