Palliative care

If you have an illness that cannot be cured, palliative care ensures you are kept as comfortable as possible by managing your pain and any other symptoms. Although many people assume palliative care is only provided for end of life, you may also benefit from it earlier in your illness.

Palliative care is not just one aspect of your care. Rather it involves a holistic approach to supporting you (and your family) through your illness and end of life care, ensuring your dignity at all times.

At Bishops Wood Hospital in Northwood, Middlesex our experienced palliative care team provide support, care, and symptom relief during the course of a terminal illness and through to end of life.

Our proximity to the renowned Mount Vernon Cancer Centre provides us with excellent access to experienced oncologists and surgeons, superb facilities, and treatment options like radiotherapy or surgery if appropriate.

If you or a loved one have been given a terminal diagnosis and would like to meet with us to discuss how we can best support you, please contact out friendly team. We would be privileged to help you through this challenging time. 

Palliative care is an essential part of care delivered at Bishops Wood Hospital. Many of the people we help have received a diagnosis of a malignancy or cancer that cannot be treated. However, it is important to note that we also provide palliative care for people with terminal illnesses other than cancer.

Our palliative care team includes a specialist palliative care nurse and two palliative care consultants. We provide help for in-patients and through out-patient consultations.

We take a holistic approach to care, looking to support you: 

• Physically 
• Psychologically 
• Spiritually  
• Emotionally

The focus of palliative care is to improve your quality of life despite your life-limiting condition, and to ensure that your death is peaceful and dignified.

While it can be upsetting and difficult to think about death, making plans and having a support plan ready and in place can be a real help, both to you and your family and friends during end of life care. 

Following a full assessment (see section below), treatment may be pharmacological (i.e. medication) and/or non-pharmacological. We always work collaboratively with you and your family members, as well as primary care (your GP and a primary care team) to ensure everything is in place to provide you with as gentle and smooth transition into palliative care as possible.

If you are receiving treatment for cancer, we will also work very closely with your oncologist throughout your treatment.

Following your passing, our team will call your chosen family member to talk with them and make sure they have the support they need at this time. 

You are very welcome to bring somebody else with you to your first appointment if you would appreciate support. It can often be difficult to take everything in at first and to remember all that has been discussed. Many people find that having a family member or close friend with them is very helpful.

When our palliative care team first meet with you, they will discuss your diagnosis with you in detail and talk through treatment you have received and are currently receiving.

They will also want to know things like: 

• Whether you have any other medical conditions?
• Whether you have any allergies?
• What medication are you currently taking? 

As the discussion evolves, they will explore broader issues and questions with you, such as: 

• Who is important to you?
• What is important to you at this stage in your life?
• Are there any special circumstances we should be aware of?
• Do you have any equipment at home already (e.g. mobility aids)? 
• Are there any concerns, worries, or fears you are struggling with?

We will then work with you to draw up a management plan that best fits your needs. This may involve:

• Pain management
• Pacing techniques – to help you manage your energy levels
• Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) – to help manage the psychological impact of having a terminal illness 

For advanced care planning, we will want to know what your wishes are for your death. Would you prefer to be at home or in hospital? Who would you like with you? At what stage would you like medical intervention to cease?

If you aren’t sure about these issues, we will talk through them with you to help bring clarity. 

Even though many of these things can be difficult, even sometimes distressing, to discuss, your private appointment is a very safe environment to explore these topics with sympathetic and understanding people.

Throughout your palliative care, we can arrange fast access to other specialities if required, including pain management, physiotherapy, dietetics, and speech therapy. If any of these services are needed, we will arrange them for you via the wider healthcare team at the hospital. 

If you are considering private palliative care in Middlesex, we believe you will not find a better place to come for comprehensive support and end of life care than Bishops Wood Hospital. We provide: 

• Fast access to help – We can arrange a private appointment for you without delay. By meeting with our palliative care team and discussing your needs and preferences with them, they will be able to formulate a management plan to help you get the support you need as soon as possible.
• Flexible appointments – Private appointments are available throughout the week, and we are always very happy to fit in with what is best for you. If you would like a follow-up appointment at any point to review things, it is very easy to contact us to arrange this.
• An experienced team – Our palliative care team has many years’ experience providing tailored support to people through challenging times. They would be delighted to help you access the support you need and to make sure a suitable management plan is in place.
• Bespoke care plan – We always take your wishes into consideration when preparing a management plan and will tailor things to your specific needs and requirements to ensure you are well cared for and your symptoms are managed as well as possible at every stage.
• Access to a wider team – Palliative care involves a large team working together to provide you with the support, guidance, and help you need. We are privileged to have an incredibly diverse healthcare team including Clinical Oncology Pharmacists, Dieticians, Palliative Specialist Nurses, Physiotherapists, Plastic surgeons, Speech therapists, Pastoral care, and Health Care Assistants.
• Location – We are located in the grounds of Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood. Middlesex. (We advise you use the ‘Gate 3' entrance of Mount Vernon Hospital and then follow the signs for Bishops Wood Hospital.) 

If you would appreciate compassionate, professional care that is focused on managing your symptoms and maintaining your dignity during the course of your illness and through to end of life, please contact us today. We are here for you.