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This service offers Palliative Care to people who have a life limiting illness and require specialist intervention and expertise. It is particularly important for people who require end of life care or have advanced disease. The aim is not to cure but to relieve suffering relating to physical, psychological, spiritual and pain management issues, improving the quality of life of the person who is ill and supporting the people caring for them. We work in an integrated way to help support the patient and their family in the community. This means that we are based with community nurses and therapists and work alongside other palliative care providers
The team serves the North Herts, Stevenage and Royston areas..
What does the Specialist Palliative Care Team do?
A team of 6 specialist palliative care nurses visit patients in a clinic setting or home setting. The service is available 7 days a week 9 – 5pm. Care is provided for as long as the presenting symptoms remain unresolved.
They will:
- See patients who have complex needs either in a a nurse led Clinic or at home if housebound
- Undertake a holistic assessment and offer specialist intervention and expertise
- Provide a high level of clinical decision making and offer a management plan to address identified needs
- Offer psychological support to help adjust to living with a life limiting illness
- Promote living well and dying well in the identified preferred place of care
- Work collaboratively with other care givers as necessary to co-ordinate care and respond quickly
- Offer family support and signpost additional help when required
- Provide episodic care so that the right care can be given at the right time, according to needs
- Address: Kingsway Health Centre 15 Kings Way, Stevenage SG1 2UA, Stevenage, SG1 2UA
- Service hours: Tel: 0300 123 7571, option 3 Referrals to this service are managed by the HCT-led East and North Herts integrated care co-ordination centre, open from 8am - 8pm seven days a week. If you are a GP wanting to make a referral, please call 0300 123 7571 and select the option ‘For professionals’ to ensure your call is taken as soon as possible. Calls received between 8pm - 10pm will be diverted to locality teams.
- Who is eligible for the service
- What will happen at your appointment
- Useful information
- Making a referral
- Patient experience
Who is eligible for the service
- People with a palliative condition with complex symptoms who have a Stevenage or North Hertfordshire GP
- Patients who have been referred will be contacted and given contact numbers of the service as well as access to a 24-hour advice line if they need to seek help outside of normal working hours
- Patients will be offered an holistic assessment either in a nurse led clinic or, if housebound, in their usual place of residence
What will happen at your appointment
You will be contacted by the team and if appropriate an appointment will be made to either attend a virtual, or clinic appointment or you will be visited at your usual place of residence if housebound. We will agree on a management plan once your concerns have been assessed and then make appropriate onward referrals on your behalf and with your consent..Further appointments will be agreed according to your needs for as long as your need our support. Contact details will be given to you so can get in touch with us or speak to the advice line out-of-hours.
Useful information
All patients must be aware of and agree to the Specialist Palliative Care referral.
Websites
Making a referral
Referrals may be made to the specialist palliative care service for one or more of the following:
- Advice on specialist pain and symptom control
- Complex psychological support
- Complex psychological/practical support for carers
- Support for members of the primary health care team
All referrals must be completed using the pSPC referral form and sent via email to the East and North Herts care coordination centre: enhertsccg.admin.palliativecare@nhs.net
Tel: 0300 123 7571 Option 2 and listen for Palliative care option
The service is available 7 days a week from 9am to 5pm by contacting 0300 123 7571 Option 3.
Patient experience
"Keep it up. Very good service and helped me with my wellbeing."
"[My nurse] explained fully all the questions we put to her, felt very confident in her company and the answers she gave."
“Tracy, you were so kind, you did what you said you would do and although we only met you once we knew you would give us the right care and support, I really appreciate you calling.”
“Nurse Caroline was lovely, she explained everything clearly and if I didn't understand she very calmly explained everything again.”
“I am so grateful to Santa and the whole NHS; thanks to her support, advice and the nursing care that was put into place, I was able to keep [patient] at home throughout his illness knowing I had a network of help around me and he died peacefully surrounded by his family.
"I looked forward very much to her regular visits and phone calls - Santa was totally reliable and always visited and rang as arranged, she made us feel special although we realised that she must have many patients needing her help.”
If you would like to share your story, please contact the Patient Experience team on 01707 388036 or email hct.patientexperienceteam@nhs.net.
We welcome feedback about our service. To do this, you can speak to your Specialist Palliative Care nurse or scan the QR code on our service leaflet which will be given to you
