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 currently have two consultants assigned to our patients on the In Patient Centre. A sign above each patient's bed displays which consultant is responsible for their care. Both consultants have ward rounds twice a week, when they 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 and doctors 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 meeting with a consultant can be arranged for a patient’s relatives 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 other junior doctors who are training to be General Practitioners.
Nurses
Our Head of In Patient Centre, who works with an In Patient Centre Sister, leads the centre. The centre's qualified nurses report to the Senior Sister and supervise our 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.
In Patient Occupational Therapy
Our occupational therapists assist patients in achieving day to day activities that are important to them. We provide goal based treatment plans that can include equipment provision, home assessment visits, fatigue management and creative activities.
In Patient Physiotherapy
Our team of physiotherapists assist patients with a wide variety of problems including mobility, pain, breathlessness and weakness, by providing a realistic and appropriate treatment regime to help improve their quality of life.
St Luke's Statement of Compliance to Eliminate Mixed Sex Accommodation can be found here.