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Prescribing ahead: information for patients and carers

This advice is sourced from Dr Ros Taylor a senior palliative physician

Q. What are the medicines that we have been given to keep at home and how do they work? 

It is essential to anticipate symptoms in advance and prescribe carefully to keep people safely at home in their final days.

Prescribing a small number of injections to cover common symptoms such as pain, nausea and vomiting, anxiety/agitation and breathing problems is important.

They are very useful if someone is unable to swallow their medicines towards the end of life.

The intention is to relieve suffering not to hasten death.

Please see the leaflet from Harlington Hospice (see downloads) for further information.

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Palliative care advice lines

NCL Palliative Advice Team
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NCL Palliative Advice Team

T. 020 8152 3252

W. https://northlondonhospice.org/get-support/out-of-hours-telephone-advice

The North Central London Palliative Advice Team is a telephone service providing palliative care patients, families, carers, and healthcare professionals (in NCL ICS boroughs) with out of hours advice and support.

The telephone service is available 8.00pm to 8.00am, seven days a week.

Community palliative care teams

Palliative Specialist Community Care
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The Community Specialist Palliative Care team provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care in the community to patients with life-limiting illness for residents in South Camden, North East Westminster and Islington.

Please contact the team between Monday to Sunday 9.00am to 5.00pm and Monday to Sunday 5.00pm to 8.00pm call the switchboard on 020 3456 7890 and ask for air-call palliative care team.

Palliative Specialist Community Care - North Camden
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Palliative Specialist Community Care - North Camden

T. 020 7830 2905

W. https://www.royalfree.nhs.uk/services/palliative-care?q=%2Fservices%2Fservices-a-z%2Fpalliative-care%2F

The Community Specialist Palliative Care team in north Camden provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care in the community to patients with life-limiting illness, as well as offering support to families and carers.

Please contact the team between Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm. On weekends and bank holidays, call the switchboard on 020 7794 0500 and ask for air-call palliative care team.

St John's Hospice Inpatient unit
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St John's Hospice Inpatient unit

T. 020 7806 4040 / 07725 258767

W. https://www.stjohnshospice.org.uk/our-care/inpatient-care

St. John's Hospice provides inpatient palliative care services to the residents of Brent, Central London and West London.

This is an inpatient unit with 18 beds

Please contact for admissions for advice and Community Specialist Palliative Care.

The office hours are Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm. Referrals received in the morning are triaged the same afternoon, and those received in the afternoon are triaged the following working day.

If urgent, please follow up the referral by calling us on 020 7806 4040. Out of hours, urgent referrals will be discussed with the consultant on call.

Referral form for clinician use only.

Community Specialist Palliative Care Referral Form V4.2 (DOCX)

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