Palliative patients saved precious time
Patients nearing the end of their lives are being saved hours of needless waiting for discharge medicines to be prescribed, thanks to an innovative new practice. Doctors in the emergency department at Royal Stoke have worked with colleagues in Palliative Care and Pharmacy to develop medication ‘grab bags’ for patients who would not benefit from being in hospital and need to be discharged as quickly as possible. The bags contain all the basic palliative medication patients need and will enable them to get back to the comfort of their own homes as quickly as possible.
Dr Alice Holt, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, said: “Sadly, there are some patients who have reached the stage where they can only benefit from palliative medicine. It is neither safe nor beneficial for these patients to be kept waiting in hospital, so any way that we can streamline the administration of their medications is going to be of help to them, their families, clinicians and carers. Our colleagues in Pharmacy have worked very hard to be able to put these bags together in a safe and efficient way, which will ensure patients are able to have more time at home and a more dignified experience.”
Formerly, patients may have had to wait between three and four hours for individualised prescriptions to be ready, but the new grab bags can be issued much more quickly.
Dr Sarah Kelt, Consultant in Palliative Care, said: “When a patient at the end of their life would prefer to be at home, it is so important for us to arrange for them to get there quickly so they can spend as much time as possible with their family. This new way of working will mean patients don’t have to wait around for any longer than absolutely necessary. We know it will make a difference to patients and will reduce stress and anxiety for their families. The grab bag contains injection medications that district nurses in the community can give to help with symptoms such as pain, sickness or shortness of breath, so this will also support them in providing end of life care in the community.”
Susan Thomson, Clinical Director of Pharmacy, said: “Our pharmacy manufacturing team are producing the grab bags for us to use and we have worked together with pharmacy colleagues in the emergency department to come up with an innovative but practical solution to ensure palliative care medicines are available in a timely manner. This is really important in supporting the care of our patients at the end of their life and we are very happy that we have been able to help make a difference.”