Palliative care services in Britain and Ireland 1990 - an overview

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Objective: To describe and quantify the Hospice and Palliative Care services throughout Great Britain and Ireland, and staffing of those services, for the year 1990. Method: Questionnaires were sent to 428 units or teams in Great Britain and Ireland. A supplementary questionnaire was sent to inpatient units not replying to the first questionnaire. Replies were reviewed and analysed by the Hospice Information Service. Results: A total of 224 of the 428 (52%) palliative care services replied, including 116 of 156 (74%) inpatient units. The report details bed usage, staffing, services offered and volunteer involvement in the 116 inpatient units. It also describes staffing, caseload and the service offered by home care teams. We attempt to relate bed usage to populations served, size of hospice and staffing ratios. We also report on categories of patients served.