Nursing support for A&E cancer patients
MACMILLAN IS FUNDING TWO EXPERTS IN PALLIATIVE CARE
MACMILLAN Cancer Support is funding two Macmillan palliative care nurses for Leicester Royal Infirmary.
They will work on the new emergency department floor to support cancer patients who come in with serious palliative and end of life needs.
Macmillan Cancer Support and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust are working together to improve the experience of people with cancer and other life-limiting conditions in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
Macmillan palliative care clinical nurse specialists, Karen Murray and Stacey Kerslake, will promote and support other emergency department and assessment unit staff and provide expert clinical support.
Karen said: “This project will enable us to expand our service to share knowledge and expertise earlier on in a patient’s hospital admission.
“We are excited to be able to make a difference to the care of people with cancer and other life-limiting diseases that come to the hospital as an emergency, by reducing their length of stay and improving their experience.
“A big part of our role in the next two years will be having a visible presence across the emergency floor, allowing us to assess patients as quickly as possible and educating emergency department staff on the importance of involving patients and families in treatment and care plans.”
Research shows cancer patients in England have an average of three emergency admissions in their last year of life. The project, Specialist
Palliative and End of Life Care Timely Intervention Project, will run for two years with the aim of building confidence and competence in emergency department staff to improve the experience of cancer patients admitted with emergency palliative care and end of life needs.
Every year, around 3,700 people in Leicestershire and Rutland are diagnosed with cancer. Palliative and end of life care is given to support people whose disease cannot be cured and are in the last months or days of their life.
At Leicester Royal Infirmary, palliative and end of life patients often come to the emergency department with issues such as uncontrolled symptoms like pain and shortness of breath that can’t be managed at home; infections caused by cancer treatment or a weakened immune system caused by the illness.
A general deterioration in their physical health means they struggle to remain independent at home.
Research has also found that seriously ill cancer patients can go through confusing and uncoordinated pathways when they go to the emergency department. The project will include offering patients holistic assessments and advanced care planning.
Stacey said: “Many patients share with us challenges of negotiating care when they have a palliative diagnosis or are in the last year of life, both practically and emotionally.
“Coming into hospital when things are uncertain often makes them feel vulnerable.
“By having us there earlier during emergency admission it will help us alleviate some of the patient’s fears and anxieties.”