Case study:

16 August 2007

Partnership working between hospice/heart failure nurse specialist/Marie Curie in St Elizabeth’s Hospice

Key points

Patients at St Elizabeth’s Hospice in Suffolk are receiving more timely palliative care and support at the end of their lives thanks to a partnership between the hospice, Marie Curie and the local PCT.

The partnership allows the Community Heart Failure Nurse Specialist (CHFNS) and Marie Curie team manager to be based in the hospice, which has led to improved communication, pre-emptive planning and choice for patients at the end of life.

As a result crisis admissions to hospital have been reduced.

It also enables the CHFNS and Marie Curie Services to refer patients with end stage heart failure to hospice services where appropriate.

The professionals concerned have direct access to hospice@Home and the medical team at the hospice.

The partnership has also been extended to provide joint education and training, wherever possible, to staff in all care settings.

In addition the CHFNS and the Marie Curie manager together with all other professionals in Suffolk involved in end of life care have formed an End of Life Group.

Setting up this partnership has involved some challenges. In particular the PCT was initially resistant to the CHFNS being based in the hospice.

But once it saw how well the collaboration worked and the benefits for patients and staff, it was convinced.

There could also be a problem in the future because of doubts whether the PCT will be able to continue to fund the CFHNS post at the correct banding.