Palliative Care

What we do

The Palliative Care team sees inpatients and their carers on wards at Bradford Royal Infirmary and St. Luke’s Hospital. The service offered is an advisory one, in which patients remain under the care of the referring team.

The team also works closely with the palliative care teams at two local hospices (Marie Curie, Bradford, and Sue Ryder, Manorlands in Oxenhope).

Specialists in palliative care

The Palliative Care team will not take over your care (except in a hospice), but will work closely with the professionals looking after you in hospital or at home.

Specialist palliative care provides expertise in symptom control as well as support and guidance to yourself and your family. Members of the team can see any patient with life-limiting illness, not just those with cancer.

Other team members may be called on, if required, including colleagues in psychology and chaplaincy.

What is palliative care?

Palliative Care is the care given to people who have a life-limiting illness that cannot be cured and may get worse over time. Patients may, however, be on treatments to slow progression of the illness.

Palliative care aims to help with pain or other troublesome symptoms and look at ways of helping and supporting patients, their families and friends.

Who provides palliative care?

The doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals caring for you will work with you to help improve the management of any symptoms you may have and help you cope with your illness.

How do patients and carers access this service?

You need to be referred by a senior doctor or nurse on the ward where you are having treatment.

Ask a member of the ward staff if you would like to discuss whether this is appropriate for you.

Who will have access to my information?

Your information will be held on a computer system (SystmOne) and, with your consent, can be shared with the other professionals involved in your care at home, hospice or hospital.

If they need to share information with other healthcare professionals, they will ask your permission first. The information may also be used to help plan the best services in the future. If it is used in this way it will be made anonymous.