Werribee Mercy Hospital has opened a clinic for the management of patients with an end-stage non-malignant illness.
The clinic is run by a palliative care consultant, clinical nurse specialist and social worker. Patients referred to the clinic will be offered symptom management for end-stage cardiac, respiratory, liver and renal diseases. At this stage those with motor neurone disease, dementia or Parkinson’s are outside the scope of the clinic.
In considering the appropriateness of referral you might consider the following:
- Patients who have refused further active treatment
- Patients for whom you expect their lifespan to be less than 6 months
- You may wish to use the SPICT tool (or app) to determine whether your patient is an appropriate referral.
Additionally, and in collaboration with their GP, patients under the care of the SMART (Symptom Management Assessment and Referral Team) clinic will be able to commence an advance care directive and be referred where appropriate to Mercy Palliative Care for support at home.
To refer your patient to this clinic, please address the referral to the Werribee Mercy SMART Clinic. Referrals should be faxed to 03 8754 6710.
Referral guidelines on what essential information is required in the referral can be found on HealthPathways Melbourne or the Mercy Health website.
Disclaimer: This article was provided by Mercy Health. While every effort has been made to ensure the information is accurate, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network does not warrant or represent the accuracy, currency and completeness of any information or material included within.
