Specialist Palliative Care Team
What is palliative care?
Palliative care provides symptom management, psychological and spiritual support for any patient with a life-limiting illness. We aim to achieve the best quality of life for patients, their families and carers.
Who is in the team and what do they do?
We have three teams based across our local hospitals and the community. All teams have specialist nurses and doctors.
Other hospital based teams include:
Occupational therapists
Physiotherapists
Dietitians
Clinical psychologists
Benefit advisors
We can:
- Help manage symptoms such as pain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and breathlessness. We will work in an advisory and supportive capacity with other health care professionals.
- Visit patients at home, in consultant or nurse led clinic or on hospital wards and care homes.
- Offer emotional support and refer for additional counselling if needed.
- Help with practical matters such as how to manage day-to-day living, financial worries, benefits entitlement and access to Blue Badges.
- Advise on what other services may be available in your area and how to access them.
- Advice and support to parents on how to talk to their children about illness, death and dying and signpost to relevant services for further support.
- Help with advance care planning – to record any preferences you may have about the care you wish or do not wish to receive in the future.
- Provide books and supportive resource material on supporting children when a relative is ill.
- Support patients and family members with making memory boxes for children.
Contacting us
Any health care professional involved in your care can refer you to our team, but it is important that you are happy with the referral being made. You or your family can also
self-refer.
Those with internet access can find information on our palliative care team web page at: www.southtees.nhs.uk
JCUH Acute Specialist Palliative Care Team
Telephone: 01642 854787, this is a 7 day service 8.30am until 4.30pm.
Other services we work with
District nurse
Coordinates care at home, nursing care, symptom management, advice for example, with medication, support, and provision of equipment.Your ward doctor or GP
Provides medical care, symptom management and support.Marie Curie nurse
Provide overnight care of 8 to 9 hours when someone is in their last weeks of life (usually for up to three nights a week), depending on capacity.Social care
Home care can be provided to help you continue to live independently and safely in your own home (there may be a charge for this service). They can also provide equipment to support you.Hospice
Offers specialist palliative care and support to patients and carers as an inpatient or day-patient.End of life care at home or preferred place of care
If your condition is deteriorating rapidly, the discharge or ward team can apply for full Continuing Healthcare Fastrack Funding. This could be a package of care in your own home, with carers visiting a maximum of four times daily or in a care home. The provision of this care and funding will be reviewed and there may be a charge if your condition stabilises.
Local contacts which can provide useful information and support
Citizens Advice Bureau
Staff at the Citizens Advice Bureau help people to resolve their financial, legal and other problems by providing free, independent and confidential information and advice. They are also able to advise on state benefits which you may be entitled to and help to complete claim forms where necessary.
For local office numbers please contact your local directory or palliative care team or visit: www.citizensadvice.org.uk
Macmillan Cancer Support and Information Centre
The centre is based in The Sir Robert Ogden Centre at The Friarage Hospital, Northallerton and in The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough near the North Entrance.
The service provides support, information about local and national support agencies, benefits, financial advice and an opportunity to discuss concerns. These centres hold a comprehensive stock of leaflets produced by Macmillan Cancer Support and from other sources.
- The Friarage Hospital
Telephone: 01609 764033, Monday to Friday, 9am until 4pm - The James Cook University Hospital
Telephone: 01642 835674, Monday to Friday 9am until 4pm - Email: [email protected]
The Robert Ogden Centre
The centre has a chemotherapy lounge, a relaxing garden area, a Macmillan Information Centre and complementary therapy rooms at The Friarage Hospital.
Telephone: 01609 764033, Monday to Friday 9am until 4pm
Main Reception: 01609 762508 or 01609 726509, Monday to Friday 9am until 4pm
Chemotherapy unit: 01609 764532, Monday to Friday 8am until 6pm
The Trinity Holistic Centre
The centre is for patients registered with a consultant based at The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough. This service provides a range of supportive therapies to complement other treatments.
Telephone: 01642 854839
Visit: www.southtees.nhs.uk/services/trinity-holistic-centre
National websites and contacts
Macmillan Cancer Support
A charity which provides health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer. The Macmillan Support Line offers free support to people living with cancer and their loved ones.
Telephone: 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week from 8am until 8pm
Visit: www.macmillan.org.uk
Cancer Research UK
A charity dedicated to beating cancer and the patient information section of their website has a large amount of easily printable information about cancer, treatments and clinical trials. Cancer Research UK also runs a discussion forum at Cancer Chat.
Cancer Research UK Nurses, telephone: 0808 800 4040
Visit: www.cancerresearchuk.org.uk or www.cancerchat.org.uk
Deciding Right
Help in making sure a person is involved in decision making about their future care and treatment. Information and resources are available from: www.northerncanceralliance.nhs.uk
Advance Decisions to Refuse Treatment (ADRT)
ADRT explains how the law now enables people to make decisions to refuse treatment, including those that sustain life. Information on advance decisions can be found at: www.nhs.uk
Dying Matters
An organisation that produces a wide range of resources to help people start conversations about dying, death and bereavement.
Visit: www.dyingmatters.org
Silverline
A free, confidential helpline for older people, open every day and night of the year. Telephone: 0800 470 8090 or visit: www.thesilverline.org.uk
Soldier, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA)
Help and support those who serve in the armed forces and those who used to serve. They also care for the families of both.
For general enquiries please telephone: 020 7463 9200
Forces line: 0800 260 6767
Winston’s Wish
A charity for children affected by someone with a diagnosis of serious illness to offer support and guidance. It offers helpful resources and books for children that may be of interest to parents or other family members or anyone offering guidance and information to a child or young person.
Telephone: 0845 203 0405 or visit: www.winstonswish.org
Child Bereavement UK
Helping children, young people, parents, and families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves.
National Helpline telephone: 0800 02 888 40, 9am until 4.30pm
Visit: www.childbereavementuk.org
Other websites: There are a number of national support groups for specific cancers and for other life-limiting illnesses such as dementia, multiple sclerosis and heart failure which can be found by searching on the internet.
Additional sources of information
Each locality will have its own organisations which can offer additional support to patients and carers, for example, Lifeline (an emergency alarm call and monitoring service), county council offices, bereavement support, advocacy services and carer groups.
Please ask your key contact in the team for details.
Contact us
If you have any questions, please contact us:
Telephone: 01642 854787, Monday to Friday 8.30am until 4.30pm
Email: [email protected]
Questions you may wish to ask:
Awards
If you would like to nominate a team for going the extra mile in terms of patient care, visit www.southtees.nhs.uk and search ‘Nightingale Awards’ or ‘Star Awards’.
Patient experience
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust would like your feedback. If you wish to share your experience about your care and treatment or on behalf of a patient, please contact The Patient Experience Department who will advise you on how best to do this.
This service is based at The James Cook University Hospital but also covers the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, our community hospitals and community health services.
To ensure we meet your communication needs please inform the patient experience department of any special requirements, for example; braille or large print by emailing: [email protected]