Based at North Devon District Hospital
Directorate: MEDICAL DIRECTORATE NDDH
| Specialist Palliative Care team | |
| Vacancy | Consultant in palliative medicine |
| Emma Migliari | Lead clinical nurse specialist |
| Karen Moss | Clinical nurse specialist |
| Jo Rickson | Administrator |
| Telephone extension 3642/01271 311642 (answer phone facility for out of hours messages)
Bleep 401 or radio page via switchboard 01271 322577 |
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The hospital Specialist Palliative Care Team provides support and advice for the care of people with life-limiting illness under the care of the hospital. This is mainly for in-patients, but can be as an outpatient when this would be most beneficial to patients and families. They work closely with the Hospice to tailor care to the needs of the patient. The specialist palliative care team may be needed at any time during a patient’s palliative journey, but they are more likely to be needed during the advanced and complex stages of disease and end of life. The specialist palliative care team provides advice to the team caring for the patient when asked by that team to do so. They do not take over the care of patients, but work alongside the multi-disciplinary team when needed.
They undertake a holistic assessment of each patient. They have expertise in symptom control of palliative patients as well as providing psychological support and education in palliative care. The Specialist Palliative Care team works in collaboration with oncology, acute hospital teams, community teams and hospice staff to ensure palliative care patients are treated holistically within the trust. Working with the multi-disciplinary teams to ensure patients’ symptoms are managed and their preferred place of care is discussed.
Symptom Management guidelines in Palliative Care have been produced by the team in collaboration with the lead pharmacist and the Drugs and Therapeutics Committee, and is revised regularly; this can be found on the Trust Intranet.
Referrals to the service can be made by health care professionals within the acute trust, with agreement from the consultant team directly responsible for the patient and with the patient’s consent. Community teams are welcome to make the specialist palliative care team aware of patient admissions into the acute trust.
For urgent referrals, please bleep a member of the team on 401.
Symptom management guidelines can be found on the Trust intranet: Please send/deliver to Specialist Palliative Care Team in person, by post or fax extension 3728.
Non-urgent referrals will be seen within 2 days of receipt
We work with North Devon Hospice. When a team member is not available, North Devon Hospice in-patient unit operates a 24 hour helpline for advice on symptom management. TEL: 01271 347214.