Staffing Requirements For Carers

Southwark Circle is provided by a multi-professional team, working closely with the entire community specialist palliative care team and the primary care team. The minimum requirements for Full Members are:

One or more nurses who hold a specialist practitioner recordable qualification in palliative care, who will normally carry out initial assessments and may provide leadership and supervision to the team.

• Nurses with suitable qualifications and /or experience to provide hands-on nursing and basic psychological and social support.
• 24-hour access to specialist, palliative medical advice.
• Easy access to other professionals, and in particular to social work and counselling skills.
• The professional staff may be supported by volunteers who have had appropriate training.

Operational Requirements

Hospice at Home provides hands-on expert nursing care, on up to a 24-hour basis, along with other appropriate elements of palliative care including:

• Emotional, psychological and social support, with clear protocols for referral as necessary to specialist colleagues in social work, counselling, spiritual care, psychology and psychiatry.
• Access to specialist colleagues in other disciplines, such as physiotherapy, as required.
• Close collaboration and communication with the primary care team, the patient’s acute hospital specialists if appropriate, and other agencies.