Alongside the community team in the Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland area there is a team at The James Cook University Hospital and our voluntary partners at Teesside Hospice.
Specialist palliative care often involves complex situations which involve a team approach. The CSPCT work closely with a whole range of fellow professionals as the situation demands and includes colleagues such as general practitioners, community nurses, community matrons, therapy teams and with the teams within the primary care hospitals at Redcar and East Cleveland.
The main aim of the team is to bring about the highest standard of care to the patient/carer by offering management of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual care related to advanced disease in adult patients. Discussion with a carer must be with the consent of the patient.
The team provide both short term interventions to try and resolve a specific problem and at other times where there may be more complex situations which require longer term care.
Face to face contact by a team member may not always be required and individuals will be assessed dependent upon their needs. Where assessment is required directly with the patient / carer this is by clinic appointment at our health and wellbeing clinic at Redcar Primary Care Hospital, telephone assessment or a home visit.
Telephone advice to the patient’s professional primarily involved in direct patient care may be sufficient to control symptoms and manage the patient’s care.
We are involved in teaching a range of professionals, and have an ongoing audit programme.
The team
We are a small team of highly trained and experienced professionals consisting of a palliative medicine consultant, consultant clinical psychologist, Macmillan clinical nurse specialists, palliative support sisters, palliative staff nurses, specialist occupational therapist, specialist physiotherapist, administrator and clinical lead.
Where are we based?
Low Grange Health Village, Normanby Road, South Bank, Middlesbrough TS6 6TD.
When are we available?
The nursing team is available seven days a week 8.30am to 4.30pm. Outside these hours please contact your GP or community nurse.  Health professionals seeking advice can also get specialist palliative care advice by contacting the switchboard at The James Cook University Hospital and asking for the palliative medicine consultant on call.
Triage advice
The SPCT provide a triage advice line where a specialist nurse is available 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays) to give advice and support on 01642 065070, option 2.
How to be referred?
The community specialist palliative care team (CSPCT) covering Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland will accept referrals for patients who are based at home, in a care home or a primary care hospital, with a life limiting illness, not dependent upon a specific disease and at any point from diagnosis.
Consent for referral must be given by the patient.
Palliative care is routinely provided by each patient’s usual professional carer such as GP, community nurse, ward nurse or care home. Referral to the CSPCT is usually made when patients request a referral to the team, are experiencing difficult pain or have other complex psychological, spiritual or social needs over and above those that the usual professional carer can provide.
Patients can also be referred to the CSPCT at certain trigger points in the patient journey – this allows the specialist team to liaise directly with patients / carers and /or signpost them to the most appropriate care professional to help support and manage their care.
It may also help to provide on-going support for patients at a time when their active treatment options have ceased. This may be following completion of radiotherapy, chemotherapy or immunotherapy or when there is further disease progression requiring supportive care.
Referrals can be made directly with the team via our triage line 01642 065070, option 2, via your GP, consultant or any professional involved in your care.
Professionals can refer to the team via WEBICE or via email [email protected]