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Palliative Care

What is the role of the Palliative Team?

The Palliative Care Team provides an expert specialist consultancy service to patients, as well as their relatives and those important to them, who have been diagnosed with a life limiting illness.

We work closely with other hospital clinicians and members of the wider multidisciplinary team, such as physiotherapists, occupational therapist and the integrated discharge team to help with some of the wider issues associated with illness. We maintain close working links with the local hospices, to provide a seamless service and to promote continuity of care.

The team aims to:
• Act as a resource to ensure dignified, individualised end of life care which is centred around the needs and preferences of the patient and his or her family
• Identify and alleviate physical symptoms and to promote patient rehabilitation and wellbeing
• Facilitate open and honest communication
• Identify and alleviate social, psychological and spiritual difficulties
• Improve the quality of life for patients.

The Palliative Care team work across both hospital sites. The team consists of:
• A Palliative Medicine Consultant
• Lead Nurse for Palliative and End of Life Care
• End of Life Care Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Macmillan Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialists
• Macmillan Cancer Support Worker
• Palliative Care Support Secretary
• In addition we have Consultant Medical support from the local Hospices.

Referrals to the team can be made by any professionals involved in the patients care.

Contacting the Team

Maidstone Hospital – Telephone – 01622 225024
Tunbridge Wells Hospital – Telephone – 01892 635675

Local Community Palliative Care Teams

Heart of Kent Hospice (Maidstone) 01622 792200

Hospice in the Weald (Pembury) 01892 820500