Palliative Care Services

Specialist Palliative Care is available for patients facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness through the prvention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems (W.H.O. 2002)

Palliative Care responds to physical, psychological, social and spirtual needs of patients and families in order to achieve the best quality of life. The Palliative Care Team works with primary care teams in the community and hospital providing specialist support and advice for health care professionals and families.

The principles of the palliative care approach are:

• Individualised patient care that extends to the family and those that matter to the patient. Care of the family extends into bereavement.
  
• A focus on quality of life of the living offering a support system to help the patients live as actively and creatively as possible until death.
  
• Provides relief for patients from pain and other distressing symptoms.
  
• Integrates psychological and spiritual care for patients, so that they may come to terms with their own death as fully and constructively as they can.
  
• Affirms life and regards death as a normal process; it seeks neither to hasten nor to postpone death.
  
• Emphasis on open and sensitive communication, which extends to patients, family informal carers and professional colleagues
  
• Respect for patient autonomy and informed choice.
  
• Liaising with other agencies for non-medical needs.

Most people will continue to be cared for by their attending consultant and team in hospital and their general practitioner and public health nurse at home. The NEHB has a long tradition of providing palliative care. Over the last twelve years it has been providing specialist palliative care in a structured way in the community with the home care nurses. Many of the homecare teams in the NEHB have grown out of voluntary initiatives from their local communities and continue to have considerable subvention from these voluntary organisations. These groups have acted as both advocate and catalyst for the continuing development of palliative care services in the region.

Specialist Palliative Care for those who need it, in a setting suitable to their needs:

Specialist Palliative Care Services is those services whose core activity is limited to the provision of palliative care:

• It is not simply what happens in a hospice. Specialist palliative care can be provided in all places of care.
  
• A multidisciplinary team approach is central to care.
  
• The team provide the palliative care approach in a systematic way.
  
• They have additional competencies in complex symptom control management.
  
• They are comfortable in dealing with death and bereavement.

The Specialist Palliative Care Team is multidisciplinary and is led by Dr. Doiminic Ó Brannagáin, Consultant in Palliative Medicine. Other team members include, Clinical Nurse Specialists and Psychologist.

Referrals to the Team are made by the patients General Practitioner or Hospital Consultant. Early referral to the specialist palliative care team is strongly recommended as good palliative care should be available for the patient, family and professional.

For details of the specialist palliative care nurse in your area please contact your G.P. or one of the following:

Cavan/Monaghan:
Palliative Care Services, St. Christopher's Hospice, Cavan.
Phone: 049-4375523
Fax: 049/4375530
Email: palliativecare.cavanmonaghan@nehb.ie

Meath:
Palliative Care Services, 9/10 Academy Street, Navan, Co. Meath.
Phone: 046/9027375
Fax: 046/9067477
Email: palliativecare.meath@nehb.ie

Louth:
Regional Palliative Care Services, Dóchas Centre, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Co. Louth.
Phone: 041/9875259
Fax: 041/9875257
Email: palliativecare.louth@nehb.ie