Make A Referral

If you or someone you care about is living with an advanced illness that is getting worse and may shorten their life, ellenor may be able to support you. We offer specialist palliative care and help when symptoms or concerns are complex and have not improved with the usual care from a GP, community nurse or other healthcare professional. This may include physical symptoms, emotional worries, spiritual concerns or practical and social needs.

What is palliative care?

Palliative care is specialised support for people living with a life-threatening illness. Its purpose is to help people live as well as possible by improving comfort and quality of life. It is not just for the final days of life. Many people receive palliative care for months or even years while continuing to live with and manage their condition.

Palliative care looks after the whole person. This can include helping with symptoms, providing emotional support, offering practical advice, and supporting family members and carers. The focus is on what matters most to each individual, helping them maintain independence, make informed choices and enjoy the best possible quality of life.

At ellenor, we provide palliative care for people of all ages, supporting patients and those important to them through every stage of their journey.

What happens after a referral

We look carefully at every referral so that we can respond appropriately. This helps us provide care as fairly and promptly as possible. Sometimes we may not be able to offer hospice care straight away. If needs change or further support is required, a GP or another healthcare professional can make a new referral at any time.

How we can support you and your family

· Helping to ease difficult symptoms linked to the illness when the usual treatments have not provided enough relief.

· Giving specialist advice to the healthcare professionals involved in your care, especially if they are less familiar with your condition or with the changes that may happen.

· Offering emotional and psychological support to you and the people close to you.

· Providing therapy services to improve self-management of your condition.

· Helping everyone understand when someone may be nearing the end of their life, so that care can focus on comfort, dignity and what matters most to them.

· Supporting conversations and decisions about future care, including treatment choices and decisions made in a person’s best interests. We can also support family members and other carers through these discussions.

· Supporting young people as they move from children’s to adult palliative care services, if their needs meet the criteria above.

· Providing care on our inpatient unit when complex symptoms need specialist treatment, or when someone needs care in the final days of life.

Support for families and carers

We know that caring for someone with a serious illness can feel demanding and uncertain. Families, friends and carers are an important part of a person’s care, and our team will listen to your concerns, answer questions and involve you as much as the person wishes.

· Helping you understand changes in the person’s condition and what may happen next.

· Listening to your concerns and offering emotional and psychological support.

· Including you in conversations and care planning, with the person’s agreement and while respecting their privacy and choices.

· Giving practical guidance on comfort, symptom changes and who to contact if you are worried.

· Supporting you through difficult decisions about future and end-of-life care.

· Helping you find other local services or sources of support when needed.

When another service may be better able to help

· Long-term or ongoing pain that is not caused by palliative care needs

A GP or specialist pain service may be better placed to help with this.

· Fast Track Assessments where specialist palliative care is not needed

Healthcare professionals involved in your care can help identify the most appropriate service.

· Planned short stays to give carers a break (respite care)

We do not currently provide inpatient respite care.

· Long-term nursing care

Our inpatient unit is not designed for people whose condition is stable and who are likely to need a stay of more than two weeks.

· Specialist mental health care

We may not have the right expertise or resources to safely meet some mental health needs. Please call us before making a referral so we can discuss the person’s needs and possible next steps.

· Routine care for care home residents whose needs are not complex

This includes people who already have a plan for their future care and medicines available in case symptoms develop. We are still happy to give advice by telephone, so please contact us if you are unsure or would like to talk.