Enhanced Supportive Care Clinic v4
Enhanced Supportive Care Clinic
Patient Information
Supportive and Palliative Care Department
- Author ID: SS
- Leaflet ref: PC 009
- Version: 4
- Leaflet title: Enhanced Supportive Care Clinic
- Last review: July 2022
- Expiry date: July 2024
What is meant by Supportive and Palliative Care?
Supportive and Palliative care is the care of patients with advanced progressive illness (cancer and non-cancer diagnosis). We focus on the management of pain and other symptoms, and provide psychological, spiritual and social care. The goal of supportive and palliative care is to achieve the best quality of life for patients and their families.
What is an Enhanced Supportive Care Clinic
You have been referred to the Enhanced Supportive Care Clinic for advice and support. The clinic is to help patients who have life limiting conditions and symptoms such as pain, nausea and anxiety. The clinic can provide advice and support for your family, assist in relief from pain and other symptoms, and serve as a link between the Hospice and community services.
What happens in your initial consultation?
You will be seen by a member of the Macmillan Specialist Palliative Care Team who will review your medical history. The team would like to help you become involved by giving you information about your treatment options and want to understand what is important to you. If you are asked to make a choice about your healthcare you may have lots of questions that you wish to talk over with your family or friends. It can be helpful to write a list of questions before our assessment. In certain circumstances, your appointment may be a virtual contact or telephone contact, if attendance is not possible.
IPOS Form (Integrated Palliative Care Outcome Scale)
We know that response to illness can be affected in a variety of ways. For some people there will be physical concerns, whilst others may have emotional, sexual, spiritual or financial concerns. During your visit, you will be given a questionnaire which includes a holistic assessment. The IPOS questionnaire takes a few minutes to fill in and will ask you whether you have been concerned by a particular problem within the seven previous days and if so, how much it has been troubling you. There are no right or wrong answers, and if you are not sure about a question you can leave it blank. You are welcome to ask a relative or carer to assist you with the questionnaire, if you feel that would be helpful. The questionnaire will be used by the person assessing you in clinic to make sure they focus on the things that are concerning you the most. We would like to discuss these concerns with you and then together we can decide how best to support you. Many people are able to help themselves if given the right opportunities and we are keen to offer this kind of support wherever possible.
The MacMillan Information Service
The Macmillan Information Service is based on the ground floor at the Thomas Linacre Centre and also the Cancer Care Suite at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary. The service aims to provide information and support available closer to home for people affected by cancer.
The service is staffed by Macmillan information and support specialists who can offer information, practical support and signpost patients, carers and loved ones to other services in the area such as support groups.
If you need any further information, support or just a chat please call in or contact one of the centres at:
Cancer Care Centre
Royal Albert Edward Infirmary
Wigan Lane
Wigan
WN1 2NN
Tel: 01942 774620
Thomas Linacre Centre
Parsons Walk
Wigan
WN1 1RU
Tel: 01942 822760