Park Leys Medical Practice

As GPs we care for people of all ages and at all stages of their life. We know that patients with conditions such as some types of cancer, can reach a point where it is agreed that active treatment is no longer beneficial to them.

At this time palliative care is important and is intended to make their remaining time as comfortable as possible.

Palliative care can be described as care of those who are nearing the end of their life. It is concerned with maximising quality of life and minimising discomfort once it is apparent that clinical intevention will not result in a cure.

At Park Leys we are working to The Gold Standards Framework for Palliative Care. This is a national initiative, based on experience and expertise gathered over time from different sources, intended to deliver the best possible and most appropriate care.

Palliative care is provided by a team of health professionals which includes Macmillan nurses, district nurses and GPs who meet regularly at Park Leys to identify those patients to whom the Framework is applicable, to assess their needs, plan their care and provide support to them, their families and their carers.

We know that communication amongst the team aids them in working together enable us to deliver the best possible care for patients nearing the end of their lives. Through the links we have with the Macmillan nurses we can call upon the expertise of other health care professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists and ask advice of Palliative Care Consultants who work in the community and at Myton Hospice. Coordination of the various services provided in the community, hospital and hospice is vital to the provision of palliative care and by working to the the Gold Standard Framework, we, at Park Leys, aim to provide the best possible end of life care.

In early 2008 Dr Girvan, who is the Park Leys lead on Palliative Care, was invited to become one of the Trustees for Myton Hospice, and so will be involved in the planning and development of the Hospice which is due to open on the Walsgrave Hospital site in 2009.

Myton Hospice will be a huge step forward in the end of life care available locally. At present patients who need hospice care have to go to Warwick and although the facilities are excellent it is a long way for family and friends to travel. The new Hospice in Coventry will mean an increase in the facilities available, and especially benefit people who live in Coventry.