16.1 Palliative care services: contact details, resources

Advance Care Planning (ACP) can help the patients and those close to them prepare for the future. It gives an opportunity to think about, talk about and write down preferences and priorities for future care, including how they want to receive care towards the end of life.

The Advanced care Planning booklet can be downloaded from the One Devon ICB website, along with resources for healthcare workers around treatment escalation plans (TEP).

• Aim to achieve the best possible quality of life for the patient
• Sensitive explanation and inclusion of patient and carers in decision making are essential
• Accurate and full assessment is essential for both diagnosis and treatment
• When symptoms are difficult to control, there may be more than one cause, or there may be emotional, psychological, social or spiritual factors, hence the need for a multi-professional approach
• Be careful that drug side effects do not become worse than the original problem
• Frequent re-assessment and review is essential
• Seek specialist palliative care advice:
  • if there is a problem which does not respond as expected
  • in complex situations which may benefit from specialist expertise
  • for support for the hospital or primary health care team

This formulary has been produced with reference to local symptom control guidelines. Each section lists drugs that have a recognised place in the control of individual symptoms.

Some of the drug usages recommended are outside of product licence, either by way of indication, dose or route of administration. However, the approaches described are recognised as reasonable practice within palliative medicine in the UK. If you are concerned about prescribing in such areas, the Specialist Palliative Care Teams are available to provide further information and support.

St Luke's Hospice - healthcare professionals information

Rowcroft - clinical resources

Enhanced Service for the Availability of Specialist Medicines

Details of the Enhanced Service for the Availability of Specialist Medicines, including a list of medications designed to meet the urgent needs of patients and the community pharmacies in Devon providing the service can be found here (see under Guidance Resources).