Weston Hospice care provides specialist palliative care for people with life-limiting illnesses, both malignant and non-malignant disease, and support for their families/carers, given by a professional multi-disciplinary team.
Referral Principles - All referral principles must be satisfied:
- The patient must be aged 18 years or over and be suffering from a progressive life-limiting illness.
- The patient must live within, and/or be registered with a GP located within, the area covered by our services.
- The patient must agree to the referral (or family member if sufficient mental capacity does not exist).
- Patients and families can self-refer though we will contact their GP to verify that referral criteria are satisfied.
- Referrals should be based on the individual’s overall needs, rather than diagnosis alone.
- Patient should be aware of their diagnosis.
Referral Criteria - In addition to satisfying the referral principles, patients must meet one or more of referral criteria 1-5:
- Experiencing complex and severe symptoms, which have not adequately responded to routine treatments and interventions from the other services and care providers involved in their care.
- Due to the level of complexity and intensity their needs cannot solely be met by other services/care providers.
- Dying is complicated by complex symptoms and psychological/spiritual/social distress in-patient or family.
- Patients and their carers are having psychological/spiritual/emotional difficulties adjusting and coping with their disease and generalist support has not been able to meet their needs.
- There are complex ethical issues around treatment and related decision-making. (Please include details of this if applicable)
AND one or more of referral criteria 6-9:
Uncontrolled and severe symptoms are not responding to first line management.
- Rapid changes in condition where urgent assessment is required to inform clinical management decisions and appropriate place of care.
- High levels of anxiety/distress are affecting on going care and treatment.
- No other specialist palliative care service is involved.
Prior to a first visit the patient will be made aware that following a clinical assessment they may not be taken onto Weston Hospice care caseload, if it is felt inappropriate to do so i.e. they do not meet our criteria.
To make a referral please follow the information on remedy - CLICK HERE