If you have a progressive or incurable illness, or have been told your health may not improve, you may be offered palliative or end of life care. Your healthcare professionals involved in your care will talk to you, and anyone else you would like to be involved, about what this means for you.

Palliative care is a holistic approach that aims to maximise quality of life, providing pain and symptom relief, as well as psychological, social and spiritual support for the patient and their family.

Palliative and end of life care can be provided in a variety of places, including at home, or in a care home, in a hospice, or hospital. Care is provided by a range of health and social care professionals, depending on an individual’s needs.

You may hear the term end of life care. This is care for people who are considered to be in the last year of life and to help people live as well as possible and to die with dignity. The last year of life can be difficult to predict as it will depend on the person and their underlying condition.

Professionals involved in your care may ask about how you wish to be supported, what is important to you, where you might want to be cared for in the future and even types of care or treatment you might want to avoid.

Whichever services are providing your care, the aim is to work together with you and the people important to you to provide the right care, at the right time, in the right place. It is helpful to discuss your preferences and priorities for your future care with your family and to share these with your healthcare team via the My Care Choices Register.

Palliative and end of life care services in north east Essex

Your GP

Regardless of the stage of your illness, your GP will still be involved in your care. Your GP can advise you on how to access appointments, get help in a crisis and access any medication you may need.

GPs now work in bigger teams and you may wish to ask about how members of this team can support you, for example there is likely to be a pharmacist in the practice that can help with accessing medications, or a care advisor who can advise you about benefits or care support. Many home visits are now done by senior experienced nurses.

GPs work alongside other services such as the community nursing team and the hospice. During surgery hours it is often best to call the GP surgery for medical queries

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT)

ESNEFT provide services from Colchester and Ipswich hospitals, as well as Clacton, Halstead, Harwich and Felixstowe community hospitals in north east Essex.

If you are living with a progressive or life-limiting illness, you may be supported by the hospital’s palliative care team.

The palliative care service includes: management of pain, management of other symptoms, psychological support, social support and spiritual support.

They work with the medical team who are managing your conditions – they do not completely take over your care from them. They also work with other teams in the hospital such as the chaplains, occupational therapists and discharge planning teams, as well as working closely with St Helena Hospice to make sure you have support after you have left hospital.

The Colchester team is available 9am to 5pm, seven days a week and can be contacted on 01206 746 272 (with answerphone).

St Helena Hospice 

St Helena helps local people living with an incurable illness, supporting them, their families, friends and carers. By focusing on their physical, emotional and spiritual needs, the team aims to bring comfort and relief to all those who need it, offering individual care and total support to local people.

Care and support is provided at the hospice in Colchester, in a patient’s home, and over the phone with the 24/7 advice line, SinglePoint.

St Helena also supports adults who have been bereaved, regardless of how or where a loved one has died.

St Helena SinglePoint and Virtual Ward

SinglePoint and Virtual Ward support patients and families in the community, providing advice over the phone and care in the home.

The SinglePoint phone line is available 24/7, 365 days a year for patients, families and carers.

You can call 01206 890 360 any time for help and advice, or to make a referral to a St Helena service.

Virtual Ward provides personal care and support to people in the last weeks of life, helping with all hygiene needs such as washing and mouth care, as well as providing support to the family, in the comfort of their own homes; supporting patients to remain at home if that is their preferred place of care, and preventing unwanted admission to hospital or hospice. St Helena has partnered with Bluebird Care to provide the Virtual Ward service to support more local people for longer.

Referrals to Virtual Ward can be made by a healthcare professional. Prior to a patient being accepted into the service, an assessment will be made by a St Helena nurse.

Age Well East

Age Well East help to boost the welfare and quality of life of Colchester borough’s older people – and those who care for them, through advice, information, knowledge and where appropriate, resources. They offer volunteer led community support services for people with mental wellbeing concerns around end of life and bereavement.

Getting social care help

If you, or someone you know, are struggling to cope, social care help is available.

If you are finding it difficult to look after yourself and manage everyday tasks, you can contact the County Council’s Adult Social Care Team, to discuss your care and support needs.  Please click on the below link for further information.

Your social care requirements may include the need for additional equipment to support you or your loved one to remain in their own home, such as a hospital bed or additional toilet facilities. These can be provided on loan. If you have an adult social worker assigned to you, they can make the arrangements. If you do not have a social worker, you can contact adult social care services via the contact details provided at this link. This webpage also contains links for other relevant information and advice.

Other professionals who can also help you access additional equipment include Social Prescribers and GP Care Advisers, who can be contacted via your GP surgery.  Health Care professionals based within local hospitals can also order equipment during the discharge planning process.