St. Bede’s Palliative Care Unit

St Bede’s Unit is a 10 bedded in-patient palliative care unit situated in a purpose-built building within the grounds of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, opening in May 2012. The ward currently consists of 10 single rooms, (1 room with a shared bathroom). All rooms are named after local North-East landmarks, are spacious, airy and all have french windows that look onto a private garden area. We provide care and support for patients at various stages of their terminal illness, regardless of diagnosis, whether that be a cancer or non-cancerous condition.

We receive referrals for patient admission to the unit from a wide variety of sources. Patients can be admitted from home via the Community MacMillan team, General Practitioners or Community Nurse Practioners and the Hospital Specialist Palliative Care Team, Mon-Fri between the hours of 9-4:30 as this reflects the time of our medical cover, so a full assessment can be completed and an immediate plan of care devised.

We ask that a current up-to-date referral be completed, identifying the symptoms, the reason for referral, a brief social background, current services, and current medications including any recent changes or adjustments to doses of medication. The criteria for admission to the unit along with the referral form can be found on the trust intranet under the Palliative and End of Life logo. Referrals can also be taken via telephone on 0191 445 5704 or email [email protected]

Other patients can be admitted directly from another hospital environment, receiving referrals from our main hospital, the Queen Elizabeth, or other regional hospitals. Here, again we need to have a written referral form completed so our medical staff and specialist team can assess and decide if the patient is appropriate for admission to the unit. If they feel they do not have enough information, they will contact the referrer to gain a clearer picture of the patient’s condition and then arrange admission if felt appropriate, often personally visiting the environment the patient is in. Referrals can be generated from this direction also. We also admit patients for treatments such as blood transfusion or to receive IV bi-phosphonate, which may require admission for over-night stay or for several days only.

On our unit we provide symptom control, end of life care, emotional and psychological support, basic rehabilitation and crisis management for the patients and their loved ones. The nurses on the unit aim to provide physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual care to the patients as needed and dictated by the patients and their families themselves. We aim to give this holistic care via intense assessment and following through with the actual care required. We provide this not only for the patients themselves, but also for their family or carers.  Symptom control requires regular assessment and adjustments of the treatment given, and this is assessed and evaluated by the medical, nursing staff and patients themselves in partnerships, ensuring end of life care is provided to a very high standard and in a timely manner.  We believe in a honest and open approach to the care we give and aim to ensure the patients best interest is at the heart of all what we do.

Discharges are arranged at patient request or on completion of treatment process. This planning may need to incorporate anything from a full care package to help maintain independent living, arranging nursing home care through to a patient request they want to return home to die.

Many of the unit’s qualified staff have undertaken and gained palliative care qualifications and have a lot of experience in the giving of holistic, patient-centred palliative care.

Our medical cover is provided by three appointed consultants, a specialty doctor and rotational F2 doctor, ward manager alongside deputy sisters, Mon-Fri 9-5. Support is also given by the Geriatrician during the week in the absence of any consultant. Use of Nervecentre assessments is used out of hours, weekends, and bank holidays as the rest of the hospital.

The hospital Specialist Palliative Care team is also situated within our building. The MacMillan nurses can be contacted on 0191 445 5709.

Our multi-disciplinary team meeting is held weekly on a Wednesday morning and consists of medical staff, nursing staff, Dietician, Chaplain, Advisory Social Worker, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist and Psychologist. Each discipline plays an important part in our patient’s care, the amount of input needed by each being decided by the patients themselves and to ensure a smooth, safe, and positive experience for our patients and families.

Any queries or concerns contact the unit on 0191 445 5704

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