I stayed at Hearts together in April 2022 after my Dad had undergone surgery for Pancreatic cancer at Derriford Hospital & we had been told the cancer was now unfortunately terminal. We live in Barnstaple which is around a 2 hour drive away & along with my Mum & 3 year old son all we wanted to do was be nearer to Dad.

As soon as we walked into the reception area of the Hearts Together Hospital Hotel we felt a sense of calmness. 

The staff were so friendly & welcoming. The rooms are beautiful, very clean & comfortable with nice bathrooms. The communal areas were kept spotless & it was nice to be able to store our food in the fridges & cook / eat if & when we wanted to. I was initially worried about staying at a hospital hotel with a sometimes lively 3 year old but reception presented him with toys, colouring books & crayons & the staff always had time for a chat with him. It was lovely to see the deer roaming around the gardens in the afternoons.

It was also nice to be surrounded by other guests who were either themselves being treated at the hospital or who were staying there because they also had relatives in there. I didn't feel at all uncomfortable walking around with a tear stained face or going into the kitchen to make a cup of tea at 3am because I knew other people there would get it. We don't drive but were kindly offered lifts to the supermarket or anywhere else we might need to go by the staff. My Mum had a phone call one morning when my Dad had deteriorated & was taken over to the hospital right away by the member of staff on reception.

I struggled with knowing my Dad was now terminal & enquired about talking to a counsellor & a day later I spoke to the amazing Fran who I instantly liked & who I continued to have remote sessions with once we were at home again. She is such a wonderful lady who has so much compassion that you feel at ease to talk openly & honestly to.

Our whole family will be forever grateful to Hearts together for being there for us at the worst time of our lives.

Dad was happy knowing we were staying somewhere so safe & peaceful nearby too. Its definitely a very special place & without it we would have been relying on lifts to & from Barnstaple when relatives were free or using trains so wouldn't have had so much precious time with Dad at the one time we all needed to be together. 

Olivia