HNY Policy and Pathway Repository - North Yorkshire
Palliative and end of life care
Definition/Description
End of life care is the term used to describe the support and care given to people in the last year of their life. It helps people with advanced, progressive or incurable illness to live as well as possible until they die. End of life care also includes support for people’s partners, families and informal carers, both before and after someone’s death.
Red Flag Symptoms
None provided
Guidelines on Management
What is end of life care?
End of life care is support for people who are in the last months or years of their life. It aims to help people to live as well as possible until they die, and to die with dignity.
It involves healthcare professionals taking into account patients’ wishes and preferences and working with them to plan their care. It also includes support for patients’ families, carers or other people who are important to them.
When does end of life care begin?
End of life care should begin when patients need it and may last a few days, or for months or years.
People in lots of different situations can benefit from end of life care. Some of them may be expected to die within the next few hours or days. Others receive end of life care over many months.
People are generally considered to be approaching the end of life when they are likely to die within the next 12 months, although this isn’t always possible to predict. This includes people whose death is imminent, as well as people who:
- have an advanced incurable illness such as cancer, heart failure, advanced lung disease, dementia or motor neurone disease
- are generally frail and have co-existing conditions that mean they are expected to die within 12 months
- are at risk of dying from a sudden crisis in an existing condition
- have a life-threatening acute condition caused by a sudden catastrophic event, such as an accident or stroke
Who provides end of life care?
Different health and social care professionals may be involved in end of life care, depending on the patient’s needs. For example, hospital doctors and nurses, GPs, community nurses, hospice staff and counsellors may all be involved, as well as social care staff, chaplains (of all faiths or none), physiotherapists, occupational therapists or complementary therapists.
What is palliative care?
End of life care includes palliative care. If a patient has an illness that can’t be cured, palliative care helps patients to be as comfortable as possible, by managing pain and other distressing symptoms. It also involves psychological, social and spiritual support for patients and for their family or carers.
Palliative care isn’t just for the end of life. Patients may receive palliative care earlier in their illness while they are still receiving other therapies to treat their condition.
Who provides palliative care?
Many healthcare professionals provide palliative care as part of their jobs, such as GPs or community nurses.
Some people need additional specialist palliative care. This may be provided by consultants trained in palliative medicine, specialist palliative care nurses or others, for example, specialist occupational therapists, physiotherapists or social workers.
Palliative care teams are made up of different healthcare professionals and can co-ordinate the care of people with an incurable illness. As specialists, they also advise other professionals on palliative care.
Referral Criteria/Information
Referral form - accepts referrals from patients, carers, GPs and via medical, nursing and therapy staff working in any care setting
Thinking Ahead Programme
Our Palliative Care Team provides care and support for patients and relative at Harrogate District Hospital and in the community. One of the ways that support is given is through the collaborative ‘Thinking Ahead Programme’ which is a virtual or face to face programme for people with incurable cancer and their families and carers who live within Harrogate, Calderdale & Huddersfield or Leeds.
Watch the videos below for more details. If you are interested in attending the programme please contact your specialist Macmillan nurse or the Palliative & End of Life Administration Team on 01423 553464 or email: hdft.palliativecareteam@nhs.net.
Video 1 Thinking Ahead: A collaborative programme:
Video 2 Thinking Ahead: Benefits of the programme:
Video 3 Thinking Ahead: Benefits for families and carers:
Additional Resources & Reference
Electronic Palliative Care Co-ordination System (EPaCCs)
Identifying patients who may be in the last year of life is an important step in providing good quality care. Locally, this is done through a system called the Electronic Palliative Care Co-ordination System (EPaCCs).
Click here for details about EPaCCs.
Useful links
Associated Policies
Specialties
Places covered by
- North Yorkshire
Hospital Trusts
Harrogate and District