title: The provision of palliative care in nursing homes and residential care homes: a survey of clinical nurse specialist work.
abstract: The provision of end-of-life care within nursing and residential care homes is of concern to policy makers and specialist palliative care providers. There is evidence of an increasing number of initiatives involving clinical nurse specialists (CNS) with the care of residents within these care settings, but the extent to which this is occurring in the UK has not been documented. A survey of 730 community CNS in palliative care was undertaken to describe the extent to which these practitioners are involved with the care of residents in nursing and residential care homes and the nature of this work. Although 92% of the CNS surveyed had worked with nursing homes and 80% of the CNS with residential care homes, the responses showed that this work was primarily reactive and undertaken infrequently. The majority of the work undertaken by CNS involved caring for patients with malignant conditions with a clinical focus addressing the management of physical symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Macmillan Practice Development Unit, The Centre for Cancer and Palliative Care Studies, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK. k.a.froggatt@soton.ac.uk
authors.forename: Katherine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Froggatt
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Poole
authors.forename: Lizzy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hoult
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009720:Nurse Clinicians; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006113:United Kingdom