They have particular expertise in the control of pain and other symptoms associated with life-limiting conditions.
These doctors and nurses meet regularly with various professional therapists to discuss how St Luke’s can best help each patient. The doctors will liaise with the patient’s other doctors, such as oncology specialists, to ensure continuity of care.
Patients can continue to attend other outpatient appointments during admission at St Luke’s, and transport can be arranged.
As appropriate patients may receive treatments such as blood transfusions.
Medical consultants
We have three consultants, one of them allocated to each of our patients. Each week every consultant has a ward round,when he or she will talk to patients about their care, how they are feeling, their medication and any changes that might make them feel better.
It’s usual for consultants to include on their ward rounds the nurses, doctors and therapists caring for each patient.
We respect carers’ special roles and, with patients’ permission, we can arrange for them to talk with medical staff if they, or we, think it’s necessary. A consultant may even invite a patient’s relatives to join them for discussions during the ward round, if it’s what the patient and they want.
Other doctors
A range of other doctors work with our consultants, under their supervision. They include registrars (doctors training to become consultants) and less senior doctors who are training to be General Practitioners. A GP who has a special interest in palliative medicine has also worked here for many years. In-Patient Unit nurses
A senior sister leads our In-Patient Unit. The Unit’s qualified nurses report to the senior sister and supervise the healthcare assistants. Our qualified, registered nurses and sisters are university educated, and healthcare assistants have all had extensive training in all aspects of caring for hospice patients. All nursing staff have many years’ experience of caring in hospices.
