For Patients
End of Life guidance and information - click on these links to be taken to the Pilgrims Hospice, in East Kent. Here you will find information about services, symptom control and support specifically aimed for patients at end of life.
· Pilgrims Hospice website
· Breathlessness and other symptom leaflets – guides for patients
Click on these links to take you to the services available in West kent.
. Ellenor Lions Adult Services
. Ellenor Lions Childrens and Young Peoples Services
. Hospice in the Weald
End of Life web pages
NHS Choices
Eastern and Coastal Kent End Of Life
For bereavment support in West Kent, please click here to be taken to the bereavement page.
For Professionals
ICD De-activation
These are the policies agreed by the Kent & Medway Cardiac Board for ICD Deactivation.
· KCVN ICD deactivation policy
· ICD deactivation form
· ICD deactivation datasheet
· ICD Decision Tree
ICD Deactivation Leaflet - A guide for professionals - East Kent
Local Policies
ICD Deactivation Policy (East Kent Community)
Local Palliative Care Heart Failure Pathway (East Kent)
Local ICD Deactivation Instructions (Medway)
Local ICD Deactivation Form (Medway)
End of Life pathway - The following links relate to key documents for professionals who come into contact with patients and their relatives at this stage of their disease pathway.
Gold Standards Framework
East Kent Multi Disciplinary Team Meetings for Heart Failure
The Heart Failure Multi-Disciplinary Team meeting provides dedicated time to
discuss new and complex patients with a core team including a cardiologist, heart
failure nursing team, palliative care team and cardiology GP with Special Interest
(GPwSi) services.
For a guide to setting up your own Multi-Disciplinary Team meeting please click here.
Summary Care records
Communication between professionals can be vitally important to ensure that a patients wishes are respected at the end of life. It is possible that an enhancement to the Summary Care records scheme might make this easier. Summary Care Records are starting to rollout to GP surgeries across the area.
Read more about summary care records here http://www.nhscarerecords.nhs.uk/
For information about Summary Care Records for Patients, please click here
For information about Summary Care Records for Professionals, please click here
The Summary Care record Advanced Care page allows recording of DNAR and ICD Deactivation status. To make best use of this facility always notify the patients GP once a DNAR has been signed and/or an ICD is deactivated.
Links to End Of Life Websites -
Key websites offering advice and protocols for end of life care.
DoH End of Life Strategy
NHS End of Life Care Programme
National Council for Palliative Care
NHS Choices
National End of Life Care Intelligence Network (data and statistics)
Palliative Care Leaflet
Symptom control and caring for the dying patient
Project
This is a link to the report produced by Pilgrims Hospice following a project, in conjunction with the East Kent Community Heart Failure Team, on End of Life care for heart Failure patients. The project was funded by the KCVN.
· Pilgrims project
Useful Contact Numbers
Click here for guidance on how to refer to Pilgrims Hospice
Do Not Attempt to Resuscitate [DNAR]
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A copy of the current local DNAR Benchmarking policy is available on the Eastern and Coastal PCT intranet
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A copy of the current local DNAR policy is available for staff members on the Kent Community Health intranet site
