Evaluation of an admission and discharge programme at a UK specialist palliative day hospice.

This paper reports on a system of managing admissions and discharges from a specialist palliative day hospice (SPDH) in the south of England. SPDH is a well established component of palliative care provision in the UK, but studies have rarely addressed issues around admission and discharge. Case study methodology was used to evaluate the programme. Interviews were conducted with five patients who had attended the day hospice, taken a break or been discharged and returned; their carer(s); the key worker from the day hospice; and any other health professional who was involved in the patient's care during the admission. Communication issues were found within the team regarding referral and discharge processes, documentation of care, decision making, and information giving. Family members did not feel involved in decision making in relation to the programme. The most significant finding was the emotional and psychological impact on the patients of taking the break. Discharge from SPDH is known to be a difficult and sensitive issue, especially when patients are living with life-limiting illnesses that can change quickly. The patients in this study all had some form of dependency on the service and four of the five would have chosen to continue attending if they could. They experienced deterioration in psychological and physical wellbeing during the period in which they did not attend.

Dementia deaths in hospice: a retrospective case note audit.

Dementia is now recognized as a progressive terminal illness and it is established that people with dementia have significant palliative care needs as they approach the end of life. However, population prevalence studies suggest that very few people with dementia access hospice services in the UK. The literature further suggests that hospice staff may be inadequately prepared to care for people with dementia. A retrospective internal case note audit covering a 3-month period of referrals was undertaken in one hospice in the south of England as part of work to establish staff education requirements arising from patient make-up. Only patients over the age of 65 were included. Of the 288 case notes audited, 9% of the patients had either been diagnosed with dementia or suffered with dementia as a comorbidity. The results of the audit suggest that the number of people with dementia referred to hospice services may have increased in the last decade. This is in keeping with expectations and future predictions resulting from increased disease surveillance and an increasingly ageing population.