title: Hospice transfer for patients at the end of life: part 1.
abstract: This is the first of two articles about improving end of life care for terminally ill patients in a district general hospital. The article describes a hospice transfer service developed by joint working between staff at a medical assessment unit and a hospice to improve end of life care for patients who otherwise might die in the medical assessment unit. It discusses the care received by patients in both settings, and the practicalities of offering patients the option of rapid transfer to the hospice for end of life care, where the emphasis of care is on palliation not acute intervention. The second article explores the ethical, legal and practical considerations involved in developing the service.
authors.affiliation: Willow Wood Hospice, Ashton under Lyne, Lancashire.
authors.forename: Michael Philip
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Tapley
authors.forename: Loren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pilling
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jolley
authors.forename: Ann Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Daniels
authors.forename: Bashir
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: El-Mahmoudi
mesh_terms: D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D006738:Hospices; D010166:Palliative Care; D010360:Patient Transfer; D013727:Terminal Care; D006113:United Kingdom