Practical Tips for Hospices

You may wish to consider one or more of the following:

• Offer to go to practice multidisciplinary team meetings to discuss a patient or lead a brief educational session on a subject identified by the practice team. Attending meetings allows a greater understanding of primary care issues too.
• Advance Care Plan Check if patients already have one in place. If not, offer the chance to have an ACP discussion and inform the practice team of the outcomes including preferred place of care and resuscitation
• Work closely with care homes, treating staff as partners in care, liaising on discharges. Ensure clear lines of access for residents to your services.
• Case based learning is highly effective so take every opportunity to offer advice and increase individuals’ basic knowledge of symptom assessment and control.
• Reflect on individual cases, complex and straight forward, to learn how hospice systems could improve care for the benefit of patients and all involved in care.

We are always looking for more tips and examples of good practice. Please contact the team if you have anything to share or to discuss your challenges.