The Diana Children’s Community Palliative Care Team is a component of the Newham Children’s Community Nursing Service within Community Health Newham and the Specialist Services Directorate of East London NHS Foundation Trust.
We provide multi-disciplinary care within family homes and other community settings for infants, children and young people (birth up to19yrs) who have a palliative care condition (are not expected to live in to adulthood), including specialist nursing care, symptom control management, end of life care, health play specialist interventions and clinical psychology support and consultation.
The Diana Children’s Community Team aims to work in partnership with infants, children, young people and their families facing life-limiting or life-threatening conditions and to co-ordinate with other services and agencies involved in their care to provide appropriate support that maximises their opportunities to live a full and enjoyable life and supports families to manage the challenges they face through their journey from recognition of prognosis, through changing health and care needs to end of life care, death and bereavement.
Aims of Service
The Diana Children’s Community Team aims to:
- Offer nursing, play and psychology support for management of distressing symptoms and changing health needs throughout the course of the palliative care condition, including the end of life phase and after death care.
- Offer nursing and emotional support for infants, children and young people with complex care needs who have a palliative care diagnosis/prognosis (i.e. are not expected to live in to adulthood).
- Provide psychological assessment, support and interventions on a medium to long term basis to any member of and/or the whole family.
- Provide advice to schools about healthcare and psychological/emotional needs of children, young people and their families who have palliative care needs and/ or their siblings and the wider school community
- Provide advice, education and support to members of the multi-agency team when working with children and young people known to the team.
- Provide advice, education and support to family members and carers.
- Offer health play specialist interventions in the home and other community settings to prepare and support children and young people to cope with medical procedures, understand their health needs and enhance quality of life for the child.
- Act as lead professional/team for the infant/child/young person with palliative care needs, if appropriate, to co-ordinate a range of services and agencies, including transition from hospital to community services.
- Support families and professionals with the process of implementing the six standards of Together for Short Lives’ “A Core Care Pathway for Children with Life-limiting and Life-threatening Conditions (Third edition)”
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