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The Integrated Palliative Care Service. The service provides palliative care to patients and their families in their own homes. So what is palliative care? Palliative care is an individual ‘whole person approach’ to care; it includes physical, emotional, psychological, social and spiritual care/support. It aims to look at the whole picture and includes not only the patient but family members as well. The goal being to relieve troublesome symptoms and achieve best quality of life for both patients and their families. This care can not be provided by just one health care professional and requires a team of professionals and one of the aims of the service is to complement existing members of the team involved in providing care i.e. District Nurses, GP’s, Macmillan nurses etc. Other aims include: Who are we? We are a team of experienced registered nurses and health care assistants. We work for either Marie Curie or Severn Hospice, hence the title-integrated service. The only noticeable difference in the home for patients and their families is the different uniforms and job titles; therefore you may have a Marie Curie nurse visiting or a Severn Hospice nurse from the integrated service. We are in the process of looking to involve volunteers to the scheme. The volunteers will be people whom will befriend patients and families who may benefit from social interaction, in need of a break or help with very light tasks. Who is eligible for care from us? Any patient living in Shropshire or Telford and Wrekin, who wishes to be cared for and die at home, in the last 6 months of their life. The diagnosis is irrelevant and care will be provided regardless and includes for example - cancer, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease and end stage cardiac and respiratory disease. Who refers patients to the scheme? District Nurses, GP’s, Macmillan Nurses, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Ward staff, and Hospice staff. Indeed any health care professional. How many visits can a patients have? The minimum time for a visit is two hours with a maximum of a 9 hour visit. Usually night care is the most beneficial to both patients and their families. How much does the service cost? The service is free to patients but is not without cost. Funding for the service comes from both charities – severn hospice and Marie curie in addition to Shropshire and Telford& Wrekin Primary Care Trusts. Contact Details Maggie Broaders – Integrated Services Manager Office Hours 9am – 5pm. Monday – Friday. Out of hours: Weeknights 5pm-10pm and weekends 10am – 10pm. Telephone Number:01743 261506 Fax: 01743 248479 If you require more information about Marie Curie please visit their website @ www.mariecurie.co.uk or telephone 020 7599 7777.
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