Specialist palliative care within the acute hospital setting.
The hospital-based specialist palliative care service is the latest extension of the hospice movement in the UK, bringing the message of specialist palliative care back into the hospital setting. There are now over 200 palliative care services within the acute setting, including 76 specialist palliative care teams. The composition, advantages and disadvantages of such teams are described, and the challenge and importance of evaluating these services are discussed.
Macmillan Palliative Care Team, Western General Hospital NHS Trust, Edinburgh, Scotland.
J
J
Hockley
D002983:Clinical Competence; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008511:Medicine; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D012606:Scotland; D013038:Specialization