This page explains what the hospital specialist supportive and palliative care team does and how it can help you, your family, and carers. Please speak to a nurse or doctor if you have any questions.
What does the hospital specialist supportive and palliative care team do?
The hospital specialist supportive and palliative care team helps people who have serious illnesses and may be approaching the end of their lives. The team helps people who have a life-threatening illness or an illness that cannot be cured.
How can the team help me?
The team will work closely with the hospital doctors and nurses to provide physical, emotional, and practical support to you, your family and carers. We recognise that emotional, spiritual, family, and financial worries might be just as important to you as any physical problems.
Who is in the specialist supportive and palliative care team?
Our specialist supportive and palliative care team consists of palliative care consultants, clinical nurse specialists and a coordinator. The team works closely with other healthcare professionals including pain nurses, chaplaincy, occupational therapists, complex discharge team, a welfare officer and psychology team.
How we can help you
Following referral to our team you will be seen by one of our trained clinical nurse specialists who will carry out a full assessment to identify your individual needs.
- We will use our specialist knowledge to make recommendations to manage any physical problems such as pain, nausea and vomiting, breathlessness, and constipation.
- We will work with you to identify and plan for what may be important to you as your health gets worse. We call this advance care planning. This may include choices about where you would like to receive care and where you want to die.
- Provide psychological and emotional support to you and people close to you.
- Offer practical suggestions to enable you to do things that are important to you and live as well as possible.
- When you are close to the end of your life, we will work with your team to ensure you have a dignified and comfortable death.
- Direct you to other services that might be helpful to you such as community palliative care and hospice services.
- Offer guidance to your team in planning for your discharge from hospital.
How can I, my family, and carers be referred to the team?
Your needs and the needs of those close to you can be assessed during an inpatient stay, an outpatient visit, or a video or phone appointment.
Any healthcare professional at Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospital involved in your care can make a referral to the hospital specialist supportive and palliative care team.
Contact details
The hospital specialist supportive and palliative care team is available on weekdays Monday to Friday 8am to 5.30pm. You can also ask your ward nurse to contact us on your behalf.
Harefield Hospital
01895 828 922 (direct line)
Royal Brompton Hospital
020 7352 8121 extension 84737
You can leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible. This may be the next working day.