Individuals living with a life-limiting illness, irrespective of their diagnosis, will often be faced with challenges and symptoms which can make life feel difficult for them, their relatives, carers or friends.
Diagnoses could include cancer, advanced neurological disease, or poor function of important organs such as the heart, lungs or kidneys.
Our vision
To work with healthcare professional teams regionwide in the development of new and existing services for specialist palliative and end of life care.
About us
Our End of Life Team was established in 2018 as a partnership between Macmillan Cancer Support and the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.
Ambulance services play a crucial part in the delivery of high quality care at the end of life and in enabling people to achieve what they would consider a good death, especially in times of crisis and uncertainty.
The End of Life Team is tasked with equipping our staff with the necessary skills to support, palliative and end of life patients and the people around them, whether that be on an emergency 999 call, a NHS111 call, or part of a scheduled ambulance transport service.
Our team also works with health and social care providers throughout the North East to ensure patients’ care plans are known to NEAS, so that any wishes and preferences at the end of their lives are known, respected, and adhered to where possible.
As well as providing better patient care, it is hoped this service will mean more patients can be cared for in a place of their choice. NEAS has the UK’s only dedicated End of Life Transport to help facilitate this.
Our team offers:
- Dedicated point of contact for acute and community services
- Timely transfer of information sharing from primary and acute care to NEAS
- Upskilling, education and support for the NEAS workforce in regard to palliative and end of life care
- Support and engagement with developing services to enhance patient care for palliative and end of life care patients
- Influence in national, regional and local palliative and end of life care agendas
Our team
- Karen Hertwick - Macmillan Palliative Care Nurse Specialist/End of life care facilitator
- Paul Galloway - Macmillan Engagement Officer
- Chloe Ince - Macmillan Administrative Support
Deciding Right
Deciding Right is a North-East initiative for making care decisions in advance. All care decisions must come from a shared partnership between the professional, child, young person or adult. But for those who do not have capacity for their choices, or may lose that capacity in the future it is important that the right choices are made.
Please click here to visit the website.
As well as our own services through the NEAS Macmillan End of Life Team, there are other organisations that can offer you help, advice and support:
Macmillan
Emotional, physical and financial support for those affected by cancer.
Please click here to visit the website
Dying Matters
Dying Matters is a coalition of individual and organisational members across England and Wales, which aims to help people talk more openly about dying, death and bereavement, and to make plans for the end of life.