Medical Services
Our medical service includes work within hospitals through to providing support with symptom and syringe driver management. This requires us to have a strict referral criteria for our hospice's programme of care, including being a resident of the Greater Hutt region.
Our medical service work includes:
Find out more about Referrals
Te Omanga Hospice provides a Specialist Palliative Care Medical service to GPs and doctors at Wairarapa Hospital. They can call the Te Omanga Hospice on call doctor 24/7 for phone advice. We also provide out of normal business hours availability of Specialist Palliative Care Nurse advice to nurses in the Wairarapa.
A Te Omanga Hospice Palliative Medicine Specialist also travels to the Wairarapa to see patients at home, in Residential Care or at the Wairarapa Hospital once a week on a Wednesday. The Wairarapa Kahukura Palliative Care Service organises the patients to be seen by the visiting Specialist as requested by GPs and other Wairarapa health service providers. The visiting Te Omanga Hospice Specialists also provide regular education to GPs and other health service providers.
Local palliative care Symptom Management guidelines are currently being updated.
For information about how to manage symptoms for patients including at end of life please use this link to the Canterbury District Health Board ‘Palliative Care Service’ guidelines.
Patients and Family Caregivers Understandings and Experiences
Executive Summary
This study has provided insights about the use of a Syringe Driver to relieve symptoms in palliative care from direct conversations with 27 people (12 patient/family caregiver couples and 3 caregivers) experiencing palliative care as a patient or as a family caregivers. Without exception using a Syringe Driver made a very positive difference in all their lives at this precious time. In particular the swift relief of symptoms achieved when they were able to receive the prescribed medications changed their lives immeasurably. As Geoff said “It gave me life!”
This study highlights the need for all Palliative Care Practitioners to listen to and to learn from patients and their families about what is most meaningful for them at this time.
Patients and their family caregivers declared “Don’t wait until we are struggling”. Consider using a Syringe Driver when swift control of distressing symptoms is required. This may be a temporary measure that can be repeated if needed. This may be a final intervention as life passes and families grieve, knowing their person made the transition from life to death with all the care and consideration possible. This could likely involve reviewing long held practices based on clinical directives.
The directives from this study come directly from the words of those most intimately involved: patients and their family caregivers receiving palliative care. It may invoke a renewed reflection about conversations with people who are dying. To listen and learn.