New initiatives announced for Leeds

Leeds Delivering Choice Program project
manager Rachel Nixon

The initiatives, which are designed to improve palliative care, are:

• The appointment of a Palliative Care Link Worker to increase support for palliative care patients
• The appointment of a Palliative Care Discharge Facilitator to provide more support to patients who wish to be cared for at home
• The creation of Flexible Community Teams to provide health and social care, work with existing community teams and respond quickly to urgent requests
• Plans for a Leeds-wide electronic register to correctly identify palliative care patients and their care wishes.

These are in addition to the project’s four existing ‘interventions’:

• A dedicated palliative care ambulance service
• Improving access to palliative care for ethnic minority communities
• Promoting education and training for professionals
• Improving palliative care in care homes

Leeds Project Manager, Rachel Nixon, said:

“It’s a really exciting stage for the project. With the first four interventions, including the dedicated palliative care ambulance service, gearing up for launch, and the next four now getting the go-ahead, the programme is soon to start making a major impact on the way palliative care is delivered in Leeds.”

The Leeds project was launched in May 2006. For more information visit www.deliveringchoiceprogramme.org.uk