Palliative Care

‘Palliative Care’ is an approach that improves quality of life for people and their families, who are facing problems associated with a life-threatening illness1. There is frequently a misconception that Palliative Care involves focusing on death and dying, but this is not the case. It is about helping people make the most of life, even when time may be limited.

Palliative care teams work alongside teams from all specialties to provide supportive care for patients, at any stage, from diagnosis through active treatments until the end-of a person’s life. Palliative care aims to improve quality of life, and to enable people to live well within the limits of their illness. Some teams across the UK use the title ‘Supportive and Palliative Care’ as this can help people feel easier about referral to our services/ reflects the broader nature of the role of Palliative Care teams.

General Palliative care is something that all doctors are trained to deliver, and is mostly delivered by non-specialists, who are trained to ensure that you receive the support you need. However, if your team feel that you would benefit from seeing a Palliative Care specialist, they may refer you to our Hospital Palliative Care Team.

Specialist Hospital Palliative Care teams can help people with more complex symptoms and circumstances. These teams are based at each of the acute hospitals in NHS Lothian and include a range of professionals who will see you depending on your individual needs. Specialist Hospital Palliative Care Teams are multi-professional and include Doctors, Nurse Specialists, Social workers, Chaplains, specialist Pharmacists, Complementary Therapists and in some cases are supported by specialist Physio and Occupational Therapists. 

We know that supporting patients physically, psychologically, socially and spiritually from early in their illness, helps improve wellbeing, quality of life, symptoms and even survival3-4. Good symptom control can help relieve some of the distressing physical and psychological impacts of your treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. There are now international guidelines which advocate that palliative care teams work alongside Oncologists to improve outcomes for patients with cancer5. This is why Palliative Care teams are often routinely involved in the care of patients with cancer and other life-threatening conditions from the early stages.

Palliative Care Specialists focus not only on the physical aspects of your care like symptoms: their assessment also includes other aspects of your life which can impact on your wellbeing. This means looking after your psychological, social, emotional and spiritual health. We know that supporting all of these factors gives you the best chance of coping with your illness and treatment.

Palliative care teams can also help you to plan ahead, so you are aware of your options: whether this be complex discharge planning for home from hospital, or planning for the ‘what ifs’ (known as Advance Care Planning) to make sure that your care is aligned with what matters most to you and your priorities

For more detailed information which can be downloaded and printed on symptom management, talking to people about your condition, practical help, planning for the future (Advance Care Planning) and preparing for death and bereavement, the NHS inform website has a fantastic range of resources: https://www.nhsinform.scot/care-support-and-rights/palliative-care