The service, which is a two-year pilot, is part of Marie Curie Cancer Care’s Delivering Choice Programme - a national initiative that supports patients with terminal illnesses in making the choice over their place of care. The ambulance is operated by Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust and funded by Marie Curie Cancer Care.
The ambulance’s first priority is to transport people with terminal illnesses from hospital or hospice to their preferred place of care – which is usually their home. It also transports patients to and from treatment and respite care.
The service began in May with a standard ambulance, and has just been replaced by the bespoke vehicle, which has added features to promote comfort and relaxation. These include a reclining chair, a pressure-relieving mattress, relaxing colour scheme, and space for up to two companions.
The service is operated by a crew of two Ambulance Drivers who have undergone specialist training in conjunction with St Gemma’s Hospice to deal with the specialist care needs of palliative patients. Healthcare professionals can refer their patients to the service by calling a dedicated phone line.
Charlotte Wilson is one of the Ambulance Drivers who helping palliative patients get to their destinations quickly and comfortably. She said:
“The new vehicle means that patients who are terminally ill can get the care they need more quickly. It is making a massive difference to them and their family by reducing the stress they’re under. When we arrive we can instantly calm a situation by explaining that we have as long as they need. This means they don’t feel rushed and as a result it’s a less stressful experience for all those involved.”
Fiona Hicks, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said:
“Approaching the end of life, patients and their families face many difficult issues – some of which we as professionals can solve. We know that most people with terminal illnesses would like to be cared for in the comfort of their own homes – and this exciting new service is providing them with the transport they need in order to make that choice.”
Janet Wignall, Discharge Coordinator at St Gemma’s Hospice, said:
"Feedback from patients and families at St Gemma's who have benefited from the service has been wonderful so far. It's allowing a timely and smooth transfer of patients between the hospice and community, and is enabling more patients to have a choice over their place of care."
The dedicated ambulance is one of many service interventions being piloted by the Delivering Choice Programme in Leeds this year with the aim of supporting many more patients in making the choice over their place of care. Other initiatives in place include improving hospital discharge processes, increasing provision of palliative care within care and nursing homes, and helping ethnic minority communities to access the care they need.
Marie Curie Cancer Care has partnered with the NHS, social services and other local providers of palliative care to deliver the programme in Leeds. Local partners key to the roll out of the ambulance pilot include Sue Ryder Care – Wheatfields Hospice and St Gemma’s Hospice.
The charity will need to raise around £110,000 each year to cover the running costs of the ambulance. To find out more about making a donation, contact Brian Curran, Fundraising Coordinator, on 0113 214 7905.
ENDS
For more information, interviews and photographs, contact: Rebecca Douglass, Communications Manager, Marie Curie Delivering Choice Programme – tel: 0207 599 7151, email: rebecca.douglass@mariecurie.org.uk
Notes to editors:
- The Marie Curie Delivering Choice Programme was pioneered by Marie Curie Cancer Care to develop and help provide the best possible services for palliative care, in order to give people with terminal illnesses the choice over where they are cared for and die.
- Research commissioned by Marie Curie Cancer Care has found that 64% of people, if diagnosed with a terminal illness, would like to be cared for and die at home, but the reality is that only around a fifth of people who die each year are able to make this choice.
- The programme involves a partnership approach. In every project area, Marie Curie Cancer Care works closely with local providers of palliative care including the NHS, social services and local charities to make the programme a success. In Leeds, the charity is partnering with Leeds Primary Care Trust, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, Leeds Social Services, St Gemma’s Hospice and Sue Ryder Care.
- Every project runs for three years and involves three phases – Phase I: understanding the current state of services within the project area; Phase II: designing new service models; and Phase III: implementing and monitoring the service models. After the three years, the view is to hand service improvements piloted in Phase III over to the local partners to be sustained over the longer term.
- The Leeds project was launched in May 2006, and is now in the early stages of Phase III. Service improvements – including the new dedicated ambulance – will be piloted over the next two years.
- The programme reaches patients with life-limiting illnesses – irrespective of diagnosis – and their carers.
- The programme has four other projects underway across the UK – in Lincolnshire, Tayside (Scotland), Barnet (north London) and south-east London.
