Contacts
Contact:
Angela Orr
Modern Matron EoLC
Organisation:
The Westbourne NHS Centre
81 Westbourne Avenue Hull HU5 3HP United Kingdom
Email:
Website:
Case study:
22 February 2012
Hull’s specialist palliative care clinic
Key points
- A specialist palliative care clinic in Hull is enabling people to receive personal, tailored care close to their home
- Over 75% of patients who died in the first year died in their preferred place of care
- The number of people dying at home in Hull has more than doubled in the last three years
- The scheme is now funded permanently. A second clinic has also been opened.
A specialist palliative care clinic in Hull is enabling people to receive personal, tailored care close to their home.
Its presence has been a factor in increasing the proportion of Hull residents who have died at home from 17.8% in September 2008 to 36.8% in September 2011.
The primary focus of the clinic, which works in partnership with Dove House Hospice, primary and secondary care trusts and community pharmacists, is to help keep patients with palliative care needs at home if that is their wish.
The multidisciplinary team – consisting of a consultant, pharmacists, nurse specialists and community nurses – sees a range of patients with life-limiting conditions either in the clinic at the Bilton Grange Health Centre or in their home if preferred. It is backed by GPs and community staff who can follow up patients between the clinic sessions.
The idea for the clinic came after a nurse-led clinic at the local hospital was moved to the other side of the city, meaning people on the east side had a long journey to get to the new hospital and often faced longer waiting times to get an appointment.
The east side of Hull has high levels of deprivation and many people suffering from long-term conditions such as COPD and heart failure as well as cancer. The new clinic, which opened in July 2010, was originally funded as a pilot scheme for two years to see if it met a need.
The clinic runs one half-day session a week at which an average of six to eight people are seen (including those who receive home visits). Patients are guaranteed an hour-long initial assessment with follow-ups of between half an hour and an hour.
A total of 117 patients attended in its first year and there were over 1,000 patient contacts. Most referrals were for pain and symptom control followed by the need for patient or carer support.
Everyone is seen within 10 days (and within five if they wish) and 95% of those who attend continue to live in the community. Over 75% (32 out of 40) of people who died in the first year died in their preferred place of care while the other eight had not decided.
Since most patients seen are being helped to remain at home, it is also anticipated this has cut the number of unnecessary hospital admissions.
The response from patients and their families has been positive. Another benefit is the presence of a pharmacist – in the clinic and on home visits – to advise and reassure people about their medications.
The commissioning team has now decided to fund the scheme permanently. It also opened a second clinic at The Westbourne NHS Centre in the west of the city in October.
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