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
Administration of subcutaneous medication in adult palliative care
This policy for the Harrogate and District locality has been developed in response to a number of requests from patients and carers in to be able to administer subcutaneous medication in a palliative care setting.
Clinically Assisted Hydration in Palliative Care
This guideline covers Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) and York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (YSTHFT) (hospital and community setting). This guideline supports the use of subcutaneous fluids in palliative and end of life care.
Laxatives to manage constipation in palliative care
Advice and guidance from Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is available, here.
Managing symptoms in patients with heart failure at the end of life
These guidelines have been prepared to help health care professionals in North Yorkshire provide supportive and palliative care to patients with heart failure (HF) with particular regard to symptom control.
Opioid prescribing in palliative care
This guidance from Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust applies to all clinical staff in Harrogate and Rural District who care for adult palliative care patients.
See also: Topical Morphine for painful wounds guidance (which now covers York and Scarborough and Harrogate and District Trusts).
An opioid conversion chart for professionals referring into Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is here.
An opioid substitution treatment pathway for patients no longer able to take oral maintenance methadone in last days/weeks of life is available, here
Subcutaneous Furosemide guidelines
A new set of guidelines for subcutaneous-Furosemide (developed by colleagues in Harrogate and York Hospital Trusts) is available here.
Subcutaneous Levetiracetam (‘Keppra’) in Palliative and End of Life Care
Please see here (V3.1 Feb 2024) for healthcare professionals in North Yorkshire and York.
Referral Criteria/Information
Specialist Palliative Care in Harrogate and Rural District
This is provided by the Palliative Care Team (PCT), a team of doctors, nurses and administrative staff based at Harrogate District Hospital.
We have specialist knowledge in palliative care and visit patients in wards and outpatient departments at Harrogate District Hospital, in nursing/residential homes and in patients’ homes in Harrogate and the surrounding district.
We work closely with GPs, consultants and multi-professional teams who have overall responsibility for patient care. We aim to complement the care these teams are already providing to manage patients’ symptoms and to enhance quality of life.
We also work closely with Saint Michael’s Hospice in Harrogate.
Working hours
The Team can be contacted by phone (tel: 01423 553464) Monday to Friday during office hours (8.30am-4pm). However they are not always available to take calls, so please leave a message with our administrator or on our confidential answerphone and we shall return your call as soon as possible.
Referral
We accept referrals from patients, carers, GPs and via medical, nursing and therapy staff working in any care setting. Referrals can be made over the telephone, electronically via SystmOne or using the Referral Form.
Click here to download the referral form
Harrogate End of Life Planning and Support Service (HELPSS)
Harrogate End of Life Planning and Support Service (HELPSS) is for people who are living with a palliative diagnosis and may be approaching the last year of life. It aims to support patients to get the type of care that they want, at the time it is needed and in the place that is preferred.
Additional Resources & Reference
Associated Policies
Specialties
Places covered by
- North Yorkshire
Hospital Trusts
Harrogate and District