Specialist Service Redesign Initiative

Ambulatory Specialist Palliative Care in the Clinical Decisions Unit during COVID -19 : Clatterbridge Cancer Centre FT - Liverpool

During the first wave of the pandemic the specialist palliative care team at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre Liverpool introduced a new ambulatory service in the Clinical Decisions Unit. This involved the presence of a named palliative care nurse in the unit 5 days per week (11am-7pm). While the team had always accepted referrals from the unit, patients who had complex palliative care needs were not always referred on day of admission which lead to a delay in their assessment and management of symptoms. The key aim of this service was to improve patient safety and experience during an uncetain time.