The NHS 111 Option 3 Palliative Care Hub service, developed for patients, family members and staff across Cambridgeshire, won the Health Services Journal Primary Care Innovation of the Year Award on 18th November 2021. The service was developed by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), with guidance and support from Dr Stephen Barclay, who is the clinical lead for palliative and end of life care at the CCG and Associate Professor in Palliative and Primary Care.
The Palliative Care Hub Service is staffed by clinical nurse specialists, who respond to telephone calls from people experiencing a palliative care crisis by providing immediate access to advice, support, treatment and signposting. It’s available to patients, carers, GPs and other health and social care professionals by calling 111 and selecting option 3. The nurse specialists will discuss the issues being experienced and can provide direct support or organise other services including out-of-hour primary care, community nursing teams, social care, voluntary organisations and advice from Palliative Medicine consultants if required. The service is already available 5pm-9.30am and 24 hours at weekends and bank holidays, and will shortly be available 24/7, 365 days a year.
Dr Stephen Barclay said: “I am so delighted to see this innovation recognised in this way – both for the committed staff who have worked to make it a reality and for the families who can now get the help they deserve. I’ve been privileged to have been closely involved in the shaping of this new service, which is part of the CCG’s reinvestment of £2.7 million in new community services for people approaching the end of their lives. It’s wonderful to see the research of our group at the Primary Care Unit, the Cambridge Palliative and End of Life Care Research Group (PELiCam), having a direct impact on improving care for patients and their families and we hope this will be a trailblazer for more projects.”
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Cambridge Palliative and End of Life Care Research Group (PELiCam)
Contact: Lucy Lloyd, Communications, Primary Care Unit