Out of Hours Nursing Care at Home

The Out of Hours Nursing Service is designed to help patients, their families and carers who need end-of-life support in their own home at night-time. The service will help with symptom management for the patient as well as offering advice and reassurance to the patient’s family and loved ones.

We are here to help

This service is an on-call nursing service to patients who have a palliative illness and are at the end of their life.
The service will be provided at night in the patient’s own home.
It is available 365 night per year and between the hours of 10.00pm and 8.00am.

The Team

Our Hospice Out of Hours On Call Nursing Care at Home Team consist of local nurses from your community.

Our Team will:

Offer nursing support for patients who have a palliative cancer diagnosis and who are in the last days of life as determined by ELCOS.
Offer this service between the hours of 10.00pm - 8.00am ONLY.
Make it available to patients within the BT35 and greater Newry city area.
Offer advice, reassurance, symptom management and nursing care at the point of contact by the referred patient and family at night.
Collaborate with all other community services who are involved in the patient’s care.

The purpose of the Hospice Out of Hours Nursing Service is

To improve symptom management of the patient.
To help patients, family members and carers develop coping mechanisms to deal with challenging situations at end of life.
To improve psychological well-being for patients and family members.
To help families and carers understand the end-of-life process. For example, the physical changes which are to be expected at end of life.
To reduce loneliness and social isolation for patient and family.
To provide end of life care needs.
To give verification of life extinct (VOLE) by trained staff only.
To provide information and signpost to other services.

It is an additional resource working alongside and in partnership with the voluntary and Southern Health and Social Care Trust partner agencies for palliative patients who are at the end of life.

How to access the Hospice Out of Hours Nursing Care at Home Service

If you feel your loved one may need the support of the Out of Hours Nursing Team please contact your GP.

REFERRALS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED FROM A GP IF THE PATIENT:

Has a cancer diagnosis and is in the last days of life (ELCOS).
Has a confirmed DNRCPR is in place.

If a person referred becomes stable or no longer meets the criteria for end-of-life care, the referral can be placed on standby and reactivated if the patient deteriorates.

Catchment Area

The piloted catchment area will be for people over the age 18 with a palliative cancer diagnose, who are at the end-of-life, and who live in BT35 and Newry City area.