Palliative care services

Question 1

What is palliative care?

Answer 1

The active holistic care of patients with advanced progressive illness

Question 2

Give some goals of palliative care

Answer 2

1. Improve QoL
2. Provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms
3. Supports life and regards death as a normal process
4. Does not quicken or postpone death
5. Combines psychological and spiritual aspects of care
6. Offers a support system to help people live as actively as possible until death
7. Offers a support system to help the family cope during a person’s illness and in bereavement

Question 3

Specialist palliative care is provided by whom and to whom?

Answer 3

• Provided by health care professionals for whom palliative care is their core work, who have undergone relevant training
• Provided for patients and carers with unresolved symptoms and complex psychosocial issues, with complex end-of-life and bereavement issues

Question 4

Give examples of voluntary sector palliative care services

Answer 4

1. Hospice services and most in-patient beds (independent charity - Marie curie, Sue Ryder)
2. Marie curie nurses
3. Macmillan

Question 5

Which different members of the MDT are involved in palliative care provision?

Answer 5

1. Hospice consultant
2. Community palliative care nurse specialist
3. Hospice out-of-hours advice phone line
4. GP
5. District nurse
6. Community acquired therapist