Marymount University Hospital & Hospice
Community Palliative Care Services
Community Palliative Care Services
Overview of our Community Palliative Care Services
Our Community Palliative Care service is provided by our Clinical Nurse Specialist team, who receive support from other interdisciplinary members. We collaborate closely with the patient’s primary healthcare team, including the GP and Public Health Nurse, as well as the acute hospital team.
This advice and support is offered by way of:
-  phone consultations
-  virtual clinic
-  physical clinic
-  home visits
Our focus is on advising and managing complex symptoms for patients residing at home or in other community care settings, such as community hospitals and nursing homes.
We extend our support and advisory services to our medical peers as well. For specialised community palliative care advice or any concerns, please reach out to the Community Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist at 021 4869100.
Our objective is to enhance and reinforce the efforts of the patient’s primary healthcare team through our specialized knowledge and expertise, particularly for those opting for home care. Covering Cork City and County, our community team also operates a satellite service from Bantry General Hospital.
Referral
Referrals to our service can originate from a patient’s GP or hospital consultant.
If you’re a patient, family member, or caregiver and believe that you or your loved one would benefit from specialist palliative care services, we encourage you to discuss this with your GP or hospital consultant to determine appropriateness.
We also accept referrals through Healthlink for GPs seeking to refer patients to our community palliative care service. This service is accessible through your patient management system or via the Healthlink website at www.healthlink.ie.
For inquiries regarding Healthlink, please contact their support team at support.healthlink@hse.ie.
Alternatively, you can click here to download the GP/Consultant paper referral form
Once you have completed the referral form, kindly send it directly to our community palliative care team via email at marymounthospice@healthmail.ie.
Please ensure to follow up with a phone call to confirm receipt of the form by contacting the Community Palliative Care Team at 021 4869100.
What Occurs During the Initial Assessment
One of our Clinical Nurse Specialists will arrange a meeting with the patient and their family. Depending on their needs, this may take place either at their home, residence, or through an appointment at our outpatient department at Marymount Hospice, providing flexibility and choice.
During this assessment, the specialist nurse will meticulously document the patient’s medical history and current illness circumstances. This comprehensive evaluation will encompass the patient’s physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs. A personalized care plan will then be devised based on these individual requirements. Following the consultation, the nurse will collaborate with the interdisciplinary team and the patient’s GP to discuss the patient’s care, providing guidance and support. This may involve referrals to specific services available within the hospice through our community-based program. The relevant parties, along with the patient and family, will agree on appropriate follow-up procedures.
It’s not uncommon for patients to be discharged from hospice services in the community if their condition stabilizes or if it’s determined that they no longer require specialist palliative care at that time.
Furthermore, as the patient’s needs evolve, they may be directed to different aspects of our specialist palliative care service where their needs can be best addressed.
For further details on eligibility criteria for accessing and being discharged from Specialist Palliative Care Services, please click here.
Availability of Service / After-hours Support
Our community palliative team operates from 08:30 to 17:00. Home visits are typically scheduled from Monday to Friday, with limited availability on weekends and public holidays. Outpatient clinics are conducted by appointment only.
Outside of these hours, we offer a telephone advisory service exclusively from 17:00 to 08:30.
For assistance, please contact our team at Tel: 021 4869100.
For any general inquiries, please reach out to us via:
- Email: homecare@marymount.ie
- Tel: 021 4869100
For for healthcare professionals email healthmail@marymount.ie