Welcome to the Bradford District and Craven Palliative Care Managed Clinical Network
The Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven Palliative Care Managed Clinical Network was originally set up as the Coordination Service and was established by Bradford Health Authority in 1993. Its purpose is to take a lead in planning and developing integrated palliative care services for the residents of the Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven districts.
What is Palliative Care?
Palliative Care is a term that is used to describe the care given to people who have an illness that is not possible to cure and may get worse over time. Patients may however be on treatments to slow progression of the illness. The aims of palliative care are to help with pain or other troublesome symptoms and to look at ways of helping and supporting patients and their families/friends.
Who Provides Palliative Care?
Your GP, hospital doctor, nurse and other health care professional should be able to work with you to help improve the management of any symptoms you may have and help you to cope with your illness. If they are finding it difficult to do this, they can ask a member of the specialist palliative care team to help.
Specialists in Palliative Care
You may meet a member of the specialist palliative care team at any stage of your illness. The team does not take over your care (except in a hospice) but works closely with the professionals looking after you in hospital or at home. Specialist Palliative Care provides expertise in symptom control as well as support and guidance to yourself and your family coping with the overall situation.
Specialist palliative care services across the Airedale, Bradford and Craven districts are provided by several teams who work together. All the specialist teams have strong links with each other and with your consent have access to your electronic patient records.
The Specialist Palliative Care teams consist of healthcare professionals with experience in this area of care. These can include:
• Doctors
• Nurses
• Social Workers
• Benefits Advisors
• Physiotherapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Secretaries
• Pharmacists
• Psychologists
• Chaplaincy Team
• Complementary Therapists
• Ethnic Liaison Workers for South Asian patients
Who will have access to my information?
Your information will be held on a computer system and be available to staff caring for you. If they need to tell anyone else they will ask your permission. The information may also be used to help plan the best services in the future. If it is used in this way it will be made anonymous. If you would like a written record of any consultation or visit, please let your key palliative care professional know.
Normal hours of work
All teams work Monday to Friday, between 8.30am and 5pm (excluding Bank Holidays). They all have answer phones where messages can be left outside these times, and when there is nobody in the office during the day.
Out of Hours Service
There is a 24 hour, 7 days a week consultant on call service which your doctor or nurse can call for advice via the hospices. You may also have been referred to the Goldline, which is accessible 24/7 and where you can access telephone support from senior nurses.