Hospital Palliative Care Team

Download and print as a PDF (180kB pdf)

What is this information about?

This information is about the palliative care available in the hospital. It explains what palliative care is, and what support the palliative care team can give.  

Why have I been given this information?

You have been given this information because you, a member of your family, or someone that you care for, has a life-limiting illness. The palliative care team will help to look after them in hospital. Keep this information in a safe place, so you know how to contact them should you need to.

What is palliative care?

Palliative care is care for people for who have a life-limiting illness, and their families. It aims to give information, support, and improve quality of life.  

Who are the palliative care team?

We are a team who work in the hospital. The team is made up of different people, including:  

• palliative care nurse specialists  
• palliative care consultants 
• support workers 
• allied health professionals. These are healthcare workers, other than doctors and nurses, who help diagnose, treat, and support patients. 

We work in all areas of all four hospital sites (Brighton, Princess Royal, Worthing, and St Richard’s). We are expert at helping and supporting patients who have an illness which is not curable.  

What does the hospital palliative care team do?

We see people referred to us by clinical teams (in charge of someone’s care). We give advice and support to patients, their family, and the team looking after them on the ward.  

We can offer: 

• advice and support about managing any symptoms you might have 
• information about your illness 
• help in making difficult medical decisions and planning your future care 
• emotional support for you and those close to you 
• help with spiritual and cultural needs 
• information and advice on social, practical and financial issues 
• advice to those coordinating your discharge from hospital
• referrals to other services which may be helpful (like community palliative care teams in your area) 

Who do the hospital palliative care team work with?

The ward nurses and doctors will be your main carers during your hospital stay. The palliative care team works closely with the ward teams to make sure that your care and treatment are planned with you. 

When you are ready for discharge (leaving hospital) we will help to make sure that the right community services are involved.  

The team keeps notes about your care. This information will be shared with community teams (for example, your GP, community nursing teams or local hospice team) when you are discharged from hospital. This helps make sure that you have access to the right care once you have left hospital.  

 We work closely with local hospices: 

• Martlets Hospice (Brighton and Hove area). 
• Midhurst Macmillan Service (Midhurst area). 
• St Barnabas House (Worthing, Adur and Arun area). 
• St Catherines Hospice (Crawley and Horsham area). 
• St Peters and St James Hospice (Mid Sussex). 
• St Wilfrid’s Hospice (Chichester area). 

What should I do if I have any concerns about my care, or my loved one‘s?

If you have any concerns, please raise these with the ward team or your palliative care team contact. 

If you still have concerns, please contact the Matrons for Palliative and End of Life Care below. 

How can I contact the hospital palliative care team?

Out of hours: Non urgent messages can be left on the phone lines above. For more urgent concerns, please speak to the ward medical and nursing team. 

If the ward team needs advice from palliative care overnight, there is a consultant on-call service available.