Palliative and End of Life Care
Palliative Care
Palliative care is the active holistic care of patients with advanced progressive illness. Management of pain and other symptoms and provision of psychological, social and spiritual support is paramount. The goal of palliative care is achievement of the best quality of life for patients and their families. Many aspects of palliative care are also applicable earlier in the course of the illness in conjunction with other treatments.
Palliative care aims to:
- Affirm life and regard dying as a normal process
- Provide relief from pain and other distressing symptoms
- Integrate the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care
- Offer a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death
- Offer a support system to help the family cope during the patient’s illness and in their own bereavement
Our Specialist Palliative Care Team provides care in the acute hospital setting.
Specialist Palliative Care in other settings, including the community, is provided by Rowcroft Hospice.
End of Life Care
There may be times in your life when you think about the consequences of becoming seriously ill or disabled. This may be at a time of ill health or as a result of a life changing event, or it may simply be because you are the sort of person who likes to plan ahead.
You may want to take the opportunity to think about what living with a serious illness might mean to you, your partner or your relatives, particularly if you become unable to make decisions for yourself. You may wish to record what your preferences and wishes for future care and treatment might be or you may simply choose to do nothing at all.
Talking about death can be scary but it doesn’t bring it any closer. Talking about death is about planning for the future. Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust is committed to providing high quality care and choice for all patients.
Further information can be found on our End of Life Care page.