Palliative care
Palliative care does not cure your cancer. Instead, it aims to ease symptoms and any troubling effects of your treatments such as pain, tiredness or sickness, to help you feel better both physical and emotionally.
It can include any of the standard cancer treatments as well as things such as anti-sickness medicines and painkillers.
When will I have palliative care?
We may offer you palliative care at any stage during your illness. But it is particularly important if your treatment is no longer working, because it can help you to live longer and to live comfortably even if we cannot cure you.
If we think palliative care will help you, you will be referred to our Palliative Care team. The team includes consultants, specialist doctors, clinical nurse specialists and psychosocial workers.
They work in all areas of the hospital, including on the wards and in outpatient clinics. You can be referred for palliative care by the team looking after you in the hospital or by your GP (home doctor).
What help does the Palliative Care team offer?
The Palliative Care team supports you as well as your family while you are in hospital and once you go home, ensuring you have a link to the care you need, when you need it. It offers lots of different support including:
- helping you, your family and carers to manage your illness and symptoms
- explaining your treatment choices
- giving you information about social, practical and financial issues
- help with planning your discharge from hospital
- end-of-life care and bereavement support.