CASE STUDY
We know about
end of life
care
Healthcare professionals cited the availability of
expert short notice care as helping to avoid hospital admissions.
Durham and Darlington
Responsive service delivered in partnership supports people at home This partnership between Marie Curie, independent hospices and the local NHS foundation trust is the first of its kind in the north-east. It demonstrates how pooled expertise and resources can deliver a seamless model of care that responds to local need, achieves better patient outcomes and reduces the need for unnecessary hospital admissions. The challenge • High numbers of patients being admitted to hospital at the end of life and dying within eight days of admission. • Lack of capacity in local community team to support patients at short notice. • An identified need for rapid access to 24/7 end of life care through Durham and Darlington’s five-year strategy for palliative and end of life care.
The service solution Operating across Durham and Darlington, the community palliative care rapid response service provides 24/7, high-quality, flexible palliative and end of life care. Registered Nurses and healthcare assistants respond to patients in the community within an hour of their call to manage their care and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions. Discharge support is an additional feature enabling speedy transfer from hospital to home. The service also provides nursing care for short periods if a person’s package of care breaks down or to support those with complex care needs. In Darlington, Marie Curie Registered Nurses and St Teresa’s Hospice healthcare assistants work collaboratively. Three further Marie Curie teams are hosted at St Cuthbert’s Hospice in Durham. Teams of Marie Curie Registered Nurses and healthcare assistants operate around the clock with a senior nurse to supervise and triage.
CASE STUDY
79% of patients died at home.
Pooled expertise and resources can deliver
a seamless model of care that responds to local need.
Durham and Darlington
Service benefits • 97% of patients and 94% of carers felt they had received the support they needed. • Healthcare professionals cited the availability of expert short-notice care as helping to avoid hospital admissions. • No hospital deaths for service users between December 2012 and May 2013. Compare this to the findings of a Nuffield Trust report on the impact of the Marie Curie Nursing Service, which showed that just 36% of matched controls (people not receiving the Marie Curie rapid response service) died at home. • 79% of patients died at home; 20% in a nursing or residential home; 1% in a hospice. “The partnership between St Teresa’s Hospice, Marie Curie Cancer Care, and the NHS has created an exceptional service. The rapid response team prevents unnecessary hospital admissions, giving confidence to patients and their families that they can have quick access to its expert advice and hands-on care. The rapid response team has been welcomed by patients, carers, and healthcare professionals in this community, and we now hope that it becomes firmly established as a key part of core local provision.” Jane Bradshaw, Chief Executive, St Teresa’s Hospice, Darlington
Charity reg no. 207994 (England & Wales), SC038731 (Scotland) S276d_Casestudy_Durham&Darlington
“Information about the service from partner hospices, St Teresa’s and St Cuthbert’s, is that family feedback is positive. We’ve only had glowing references from families so we know there is a lot of good work being done to help people stay at home. The service also supports people in care homes who may otherwise be taken to hospital for a painful journey at the end of life. The service responds quickly and is a real plus in these circumstances. Rather than calling 999, care homes can call the service, be quickly reassured and know their residents will get good care. With overstretched A&Es and inpatient beds it’s difficult to evidence cost savings but with fewer unnecessary costly hospital admissions, with the associated travel and emotional costs, we can make assumptions.” Darren Archer, Senior Manager – Provider Management, North of England Commissioning Support
Contact servicedevelopment@mariecurie.org.uk mariecurie.org.uk/commissioning