5th January 2024

Allied Teams Involved in End-of-Life Care

The palliative care team consists of medical professionals, allied health professionals and social care workers, both in the community and inpatient settings. The patient and their loved ones remain at the heart of the team, who work together to allow for individualised care at the end of life. Below is a non-exhaustive list of members of the multidisciplinary team in palliative care:

• Doctors
  • Hospital
  • Hospice
  • GP
• Nurses
  • Hospital
  • Hospice
  • Macmillan nurses: specialist cancer nurses working both in the hospital and the community to support patients and their loved ones
  • District nurses: provide complex care in the community to patients with long-term conditions
• Carers
• Pharmacists
• Speech and Language Therapists: can help with swallowing as well as communication, for example, in neurological conditions and oropharyngeal cancers
• Dieticians: complete nutritional assessments, assess suitability for supplements and help to support tube feeding
• Physiotherapists
• Occupational therapists
• Complementary therapists can provide alternative therapies such as acupuncture, massages, Reiki and aromatherapy
• Psychologists and counsellors: both for patients and for their loved ones if required
• Faith and spiritual leaders

Place of Care

Patients can be cared for in a number of places at the end of their life. This location depends on their own preferences and care needs. Their own home, hospices, hospitals, care homes, and nursing homes are all available options.

Religious and Spiritual Care

Spirituality describes a person’s quest to find meaning in their life. This can be in the form of faith but can also be expressed in people who do not follow a religion.

It is important to assess patients’ spiritual needs during their illness. This can be done at any point from diagnosis right through to the terminal stage. Assessing spiritual needs allows for individualised support to be given, including access to religious and spiritual caregivers.

Delivering spiritual care in the palliative setting may include listening to the patient’s experience, respecting and protecting their identity and dignity, and discussing thoughts around life, death and meaning. Spiritual care can also allow for the provision of religious rituals at the end of life.

References

• British Dietetic Association (BDA). What Do Dietitians Do? [Internet]. [cited 2023 Aug 28]. Available from: https://www.bda.uk.com/about-dietetics/what-do-dietitians-do.html
• Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS). Palliative Care – General Issues: Management Approach – Assessing Religious or Spiritual Needs [Internet]. [cited 2023 Jul 16]. Available from: https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/palliative-care-general-issues/management/management-approach/#assessing-religious-or-spiritual-needs
• Health Education England (HEE). Community District Nursing [Internet]. [cited 2023 Aug 28]. Available from: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/community-district-nursing
• Macmillan Cancer Support. Macmillan Nurses [Internet]. [cited 2023 Aug 28]. Available from: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/get-help/macmillan-nurses
• Marie Curie. Complementary Therapies for Wellbeing [Internet]. [cited 2023 Aug 28]. Available from: https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/help/support/terminal-illness/wellbeing/complementary-therapies
• National Council for Palliative Care. Palliative Care Explained [Internet]. [cited 2023 Jul 16]. Available from: https://www.ncpc.org.uk/palliative-care-explained/
• Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT). End of Life Care Overview [Internet]. [cited 2023 Aug 28]. Available from: https://www.rcslt.org/speech-and-language-therapy/clinical-information/end-of-life-care-overview/