How we manage referrals at the Hospice

Working within the Referral Hub means we are the front door to the Hospice - all referrals come through the team, are assessed for urgency before either being sent to the appropriate service or being signposted to other services within the community.

As a team, we have to ensure we are up to date with all the services being provided within the Hospice so patients and their families get the most out of the Hospice for as long as they can, not just when they are unwell. We need to be sure we are truly promoting the palliative care ethos of living well until end of life and can refer on to additional hospice services if identified as beneficial.

We have a lot of contact with patients and relatives before they access other services ??" our administrators can often be involved for several days with distressed relatives prior to admission, for example.

We receive referrals for anyone with a life limiting condition requiring specialist palliative support living in Havering, Brentwood, Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge and parts of West Essex. It is the role of the Referral Hub to ensure maximum accurate information has been received; the referral fits our criteria and that we have available and appropriate services to be able to meet the needs of the patient.

One of the biggest changes over the past 12 months has been the introduction of online e-referrals, including a self-referral option. New processes bring new challenges but we have overcome what were initial issues and we are proud to say, we process increasing numbers of online e-referrals now.

To make sure we are up to date on service capacity, and are aware of any new issues and situations of individual referred patients, we attend daily meetings with our care teams.

All administration for admitting patients is dealt with by the Hub, including ambulance booking, advising external professionals of the admission, and providing the ward with relevant clinical information.

Importantly, we receive a high number of community referrals from Care Homes (Residential/Nursing). We also will provide urgent advice to GPs, and ensure patients are kept within their preferred place of care at home if that is what they want. We will always refer onto other hospice services as appropriate and if required.