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Palliative and End of Life Care
Palliative and End of Life Care
Palliative care is an approach that aims to improve the quality of life of patients and their families facing problems associated with life-limiting illness, through the prevention, assessment and treatment of pain and other physical, psychosocial and spiritual needs.
Palliative care at Princess Alexandra Hospital
Our palliative and end of life care team provides specialist palliative care advice to the ward teams for patients with a life-limiting condition, who require symptom management or specialist advice and support. The team also provide end of life care support and advice.
We are an advisory service working with the ward clinical teams to provide holistic care for our patients. Hospital patients referred to us remain under the care of their managing Consultant and ward team. We liaise closely with community colleagues including GPs, district nurses, community palliative care specialist nurses and local hospices. When patients are referred to our team we will undertake a holistic assessment to identify and manage complex palliative care needs, often requiring signposting or referral on to other services in our hospital or the wider community. We help people at any point from diagnosis of a life-limiting condition to the last days of life.
We also support family members and carers. Our goal is to enable provision of excellent palliative care for all who need it in Princess Alexandra Hospital.
End of life care
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We support ward teams to identify when someone is no longer responding to treatments and is approaching the last days of life, to communicate honestly and compassionately about this possibility, and to involve patients and families in decision-making at this time. We work with ward teams to identify the needs of patients and families, and develop individualised care plans for proactively managing any symptoms, remove distress, or other issues occur.
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We recognise that some people may have wishes about where they would like to be at the end of their lives. These wishes may change over time and we will work with you, and those people who are most important to you, to determine what is possible and how we can support you to achieve your wishes.
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Butterfly Volunteers: We are lucky to have the support of Butterfly volunteers who can spend time with people in the last days of life, providing vital support for families. Further information: Butterfly Volunteers information.
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Chaplaincy Team: We work closely with the hospital chaplaincy teamwho provide pastoral, spiritual and religious support to patients and their families, with or without a practising faith. If this is a service you would like to access, our team can contact them on your behalf, or they can be contacted directly on 01279 973407 / 01279 973183.
Meet the team:
The Palliative Care & End of Life Care Team consists of clinical nurse specialists and palliative medicine consultants:
Head of nursing:
Caroline Hockett
Education lead and senior clinical nurse specialist:
Louise Bennett
Clinical nurse specialist
Lorna Marner
Angela Wasdell
Charlotte Da Gama
Lucy Rodrigues
Sarah Jones
Abbie Taylor
Lorraine Payne
Lucy Cholidi
Clinical lead and consultant
Dr Jane Hegarty
Consultants
Dr Arjun Kingdon
Dr Jonathan Riordan
Dr Enam Khan
Personal assistant
Maria Kontakkis
Multidisciplinary Team
In order to ensure we are providing safe and effective care the Palliative Care Team has adopted a multi-disciplinary approach and patients on our caseload are discussed in weekly MDT meetings. Where appropriate outcomes from the MDTs are shared with managing hospital teams and GPs.
Our MDT is comprised of:
- Chaplaincy
- Butterfly Volunteer Service
- St Clare Hospice
- Isabel Hospice
- Occupational therapists
Advance Care Planning
The Specialist palliative care team can advise and support patients, their families and carers with decisions about their preferences and priorities for future care.
This could include:
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Statements of preferences and wishes - a document in which a person can express their wishes, preferences, beliefs, and values about their future care and treatment.
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Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment - a legal document that allows a person with mental capacity to set out treatment they would wish to refuse at some point in the future when they lack capacity to make the decision themselves.
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Lasting Power of Attorney for Health and Welfare - covers appointing a legal attorney to act on your behalf regarding decisions about health and care should you lose the capacity to make decisions for yourself.
How to Contact Us
The Specialist Palliative Care team is available Monday – Sunday from 8am - 4pm
Main contact telephone number: 01279 827846
We are based on site at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Hamstel Road, Harlow, CM20 1QX
Blankets for End of Life Care
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We have generous volunteers who knit and crochet blankets for our patients who are receiving end of life care.
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These blankets can provide warmth, colour and a personal touch for patients and are donated through the Specialist Palliative Care team or the Butterfly Volunteers.
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Blanket donation can be delivered to the Specialist Palliative Care office in the Bungalow, opposite Gibberd Ward (Building 6) Mon-Fri 8am-4pm. Please call 01279 827846 to arrange a suitable date/time.
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Blankets to be approximately 48 inches by 48 inches or 122cm by 122cm. Blanket squares to be approximately 15cm squares that can be sewn together to make a blanket.
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There is no preference for wool or colour choice – you can contact our team on 01279 82 7846 for wool if required.
Useful websites and resources
Useful Websites
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Age UK
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Mind
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The Cinnamon Trust (Charity for older people, the terminally ill and their pets)
Downloadable Information Leaflets
Marie Curie
Isabel Hospice
St Clare Hospice
Hospices and Charities
Hospices
Many (but not all) people admitted to Princess Alexandra Hospital fall into the catchment area for Isabel Hospice or St Clare Hospice whose websites give further information about the services they offer.
The Specialist Palliative Care Team will link with these or other hospices as appropriate.
Charities
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Macmillan Cancer Support
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Butterfly Volunteer Service – Butterfly volunteers are specially trained to support people in the last days or hours of their life.