Palliative Care Specialist Nurse Team

Who can access the service?

Our service is available to anyone who is:

• over the age of 18
• living with a life-limiting or palliative condition
• registered with a North Derbyshire GP surgery and living in the catchment area
• needing help managing symptoms such as pain, nausea and vomiting.

Referrals to the service

Usually, a healthcare professional, such as your GP, hospital doctor, or any nurse involved in your care, will refer you to our service. After we receive your referral, a member of our single point of access team will contact you to discuss your needs. Your care will then be directed to the team best suited to support you.

If your care needs are routine, we will contact you within 10 days.

If your care needs are urgent, we will contact you within two days.

Our services

The team carry out an initial assessment, either in person or over the phone, to discuss your health, review your symptoms, and identify your main concerns.

They can provide expert advice and support with the following matters:

• Complex symptom management: We will help you get the most relief from your symptoms.
• Medications: We can advise on medications to help with your symptoms; including guidance on how and when to take them. We can also advise other professionals involved in your care, such as your GP and community nursing team.
• Advance care planning: We will discuss what matters most to you, including your future care priorities. This could include advance care planning and documenting your wishes on a ReSPECT form. We can also talk about managing emergencies or deterioration in your health, including your thoughts about hospital admissions. We can also talk about what to do in the case of emergencies or a deterioration in your health, including your wishes around hospital admission.
• End of life care at home: We can support and advise those who wish to stay at home for their last days of life. Our team will work closely with your GP, hospital team (if you have one), community nurses and others involved in your care.
• Benefits: We can refer you for benefits advice and complete an SR1 form if applicable. An SR1 form provides specific medical evidence to enable benefits to be accessed promptly.

We may offer to refer you to our other services, such as support from palliative care consultants, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, supportive care, complementary therapy and Day Services. In some cases, a referral to our Inpatient Unit may be required, which could involve a waiting list.

Your day-to-day care will continue to be provided by community nursing teams, your GP, and health and social care providers, including social services. We work in close partnerships with these teams, offering specialist support, advice and guidance. We do not take over from these services.

How often will you be seen?

Depending on your needs, you’ll be reviewed, daily, weekly, or fortnightly through face-to-face visits or phone contact. Once your symptoms are controlled and your condition stabilises, we may discharge you from our service. Referrals back to our service can be made by a healthcare professional such as your GP.

What our team don’t do

• We do not take over care from your GP Surgery. Your GP will continue to to provide repeat prescriptions or routine medical reviews.
• We don’t provide hands-on physical care or overnight sitting services. These services are usually provided by private care providers following an assessment from social services or health and social care providers. We can refer you to these services, as can your community nursing team.

NHS 111: Call 111 (open 24 hours a day, seven days a week) for urgent advice and support, connecting you to out-of-hours services and community nursing and help with administering injections, wound care and dressings, catheter care, face to face assessment from GP or Advanced Nurse Practitioner.

District Nursing Community Access Point (CAP): Call 01332 564 900, seven days a week, 8am–6pm for help with administering injections, wound care and dressings, catheter care and equipment

Blythe House Hospice, Roaming Car Service: Call 07946 028 127 for urgent care for symptom management, emotional support, catheter care, and verification of expected death. Open 8pm – 8am, seven days a week.

Call Derbyshire: 01629 533 190. Open 8am–6pm Monday to Friday and 9.30am–4pm on Saturdays. For adult social care.

Chesterfield Royal Hospital: 01246 277 271

Weston Park Hospital: 01142 265 300

Weston Park Hospital 24-hour treatment advice line: 01142 268 345

The Macmillan Support Line: Call 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm, freephone within the UK.

Macmillan Benefits Advice: 01629 531 531

Online information:

www.ashgatehospice.org.uk
www.derbyshire.eolcare.uk
www.hospiceuk.org
www.macmillan.org.uk
www.resus.org.uk/respect