Role of Health and Social Care Professionals
A holistic care approach is considered to be the best path to improve a person’s quality of life after their diagnosis of a life-limiting or terminal illness, or if they are in their last days of life. A person’s practical, emotional and spiritual needs are just as important to improve their care alongside their medical needs. Some people may require specialist palliative care if they have complex symptoms. Specialist palliative care health professionals have advanced knowledge and qualifications to deliver palliative care for individuals with complex symptoms.
Healthcare professionals need to be aware of a person’s wishes and plans so they build them into the right care for that person.
Healthcare professionals work in a multi-disciplinary team approach and the service offered differs for each person, depending on the person’s individual needs. The range of health care professionals range from but are not limited to;
- Your GP
- Consultants (possibly from different specialties)
- Hospital Doctors
- Hospital Nurses
- Community/District Nurses
- Hospice Staff
- Carers
- Social Workers
- Allied Health Professionals (counsellors, dieticians, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists)
Compassionate Communities NI, in collaboration with various health and social care professionals from Northern Trust, Western Trust, Foyle Hospice and Marie Curie, co-designed a series of 10 videos that introduces a number of health and social care professionals that people are likely to meet during their palliative care and end of life care journey. All resources are available for public use and are hosted on the ‘Resources’ page on www.compassionatecommunitiesni.com.