Hospital referrals to a hospice: Timing of referrals, referrers' expectations, and the nature of referral information

Hospital referrals to Mary Potter Hospice were reviewed prior to the implem entation of a new hospital palliative care support service. The hospital pa lliative care service aims to improve the communication between health prof essionals in the acute hospital and hospice, and to advise the hospital sta ff on its management of terminally ill patients. The purpose of this review was to provide baseline information that would assist the hospice with the planning and future evaluation of the new service. Information included th e timing of the referrals, the type of referral information provided by hos pital doctors, and their expectations of hospice care. One fifth of patient s were referred near to death. While medical information was nearly always provided on referral, information on the psychological, spiritual and socia l dimensions of care was often absent. A third of hospital doctors expresse d their expectation of the hospice as "to take over" the patient's care. Th is suggests the hospital palliative care support service should encourage h ealth professionals to take a more active role in caring for dying patients . The findings are discussed in relation to the goals of the new hospital p alliative care support service.