Contacts
Contact:
Janet Raw
Heart Failure Specialist Nurse
Organisation:
Scarborough Hospital
Scarborough North Yorkshire YO12 6QL United Kingdom
Tel:
01723 376589
Case study:
11 May 2010
Heart Failure Specialist Nursing Team – Palliative Care Service in North Yorkshire and York PCT
Key points
- A team of specialist nurses in North Yorkshire are helping patients with heart failure to die at home if they choose
- The service has significantly reduced hospital admission rates for heart failure.
A team of specialist nurses are helping to ensure heart failure patients in North Yorkshire are able to end their life where they choose.
The service, which is popular with patients, has helped cut admission and readmission rates for heart failure significantly.
In 2004 17% of deaths from heart failure in the area were in hospital.
So far this year 79% of deaths have been out of hospital (home, hospice and community hospitals).
Initially funded for three years by the British Heart Foundation, the service is now fully funded by North Yorkshire and York PCT.
The heart failure nurses hold joint clinics with the palliative care consultant and make joint domiciliary visits to address symptom problems.
They also attend GSF meetings at GP practices.
They work closely with cardiologists and palliative care consultants and regularly receive referrals from primary and secondary care for end of life care.
They in turn will often refer heart failure patients to the hospice for symptom management, respite and terminal care.
They can also be referred to the day hospice at St Catherine’s in Scarborough for an eight-week period followed by a review.
A support group for heart failure patients and carers has now been set up at St Catherine’s Hospice.
The team won first prize in the British Association of Cardiac Nursing awards in 2007 for excellence or innovation in palliative care.
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