A to Z of services

Palliative care is the active total care of any patient who has a life limiting illness regardless of the stage of the illness.  This includes patients who have cancer and also other non-cancer conditions that have a life-limiting diagnosis.

The Macmillan Palliative Care Team is a team of nurses, a social worker and medical consultants who have specialist training and experience in controlling symptoms like pain and nausea associated with chronic illness.  The Palliative Care Team will work with other professionals involved in the care of the patient to improve any symptoms the patient may have and will also offer emotional and psychological support to both patients and families.  The aim of palliative care is to achieve the best quality of life for patients and their carers.

A member of the team is available Monday to Sunday including bank holidays from 9am to 5pm to provide advice and support to patients with specialist palliative care needs within the hospital.  An advisory service for health care professionals is provided out of hours by telephone from Royal Trinity Hospice.

We support staff caring for patients who are spending the end of their life in the hospital, and their families, to ensure they are given the correct level of care and dignity at the end of their life.  We work to ensure that patients and family members are involved in decisions about their treatment and care and that all communication is clear, sensitive and compassionate.

The Palliative Care Team is available to see adult patients on all in-patient areas of the hospital and is not based on any specific ward.

We provide:

• pain and symptom control advice
• support for those facing the end of life in hospital
• emotional and psychological support for patients and their carers
• liaise with our community palliative care team colleagues to refer patients for on-going specialist palliative care        support when they leave hospital
• advice on complex discharge planning for patients known to the palliative care team
• liaise with local hospice colleagues to arrange hospice transfer for patients when appropriate

Contact Us

Macmillan Palliative Care Team

Tel:  020 8401 3000 ext 4906

e-mail:  ch-tr.palliativecareteam@nhs.net

Consultants

Dr Debra Swann

Dr Holly Young

Lead Nurse & Advanced Nurse Practitioner

Caroline Adams

Clinical Nurse Specialists

Kate Burridge

Tina Lawton

Louise Renton

Ayshea Stacey

Nicky Waterman

Stella Whitehouse

Social Worker

Paul Etheridge

Administrator

Kelly Curant