A pioneering partnership between East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and the local hospices – St Michael’s Hospice in Hastings and St Wilfrid’s Hospice in Eastbourne – is transforming the way palliative care is delivered across East Sussex.
Back from left: Dr Geoff Wells; Dr David Barclay; Dr David Matthews; Dr Isae Kilonzo Front from Left: Dr Farida Malik; Dr Louise Free; Dr Charlotte Harrison; Dr Jane Lewington
Joined-up care across settings
The ability for consultants to work flexibly across the trust and both hospices has led to real, tangible benefits for patients. Whether seen on a ward at Conquest Hospital or Eastbourne DGH, or in a hospice clinic, patients are increasingly benefiting from smoother transitions of care. Consultants who know their case can support timely admissions to hospice inpatient units with management plans already in place – reducing delays and repetition for patients and families at an already stressful time.
SWH patient Laurie Evans with wife Lizzy and dogs Daisy and Archie.
Laurie Evans is currently staying on the Inpatient Unit at St Wilfrid’s Hospice, but he first met Dr David Barclay, Palliative Care Consultant and Medical Director for St Michael’s Hospice and St Wilfrid’s Hospice, while at Conquest Hospital. Laurie’s wife Lizzy said: “The continuity of medical and nursing care builds a relationship of trust with the patient. It means they get to know the patient and understand who and what they’re dealing with. Laurie’s referral to St Wilfrid’s was easier because the doctors already knew who he was.”
The same approach is helping to speed up hospital discharges. Patients can now be discharged with the reassurance that follow-up in the community will be delivered by the same consultant team they saw in hospital – providing a sense of continuity and trust that’s vital in palliative care.
More appointments, closer to home
One of the most visible outcomes of this collaboration is the increase in outpatient activity at the trust. Hospice consultants are now running regular clinics within the trust, which has significantly expanded the number of available appointments and allowed more patients to be seen in a timely way.
Dr David Matthews, Clinical Lead for Palliative Care, runs some of these clinics. He said: “Working this way means more people across East Sussex can access high-quality palliative care in a hospital setting, often at an earlier stage of their illness, without long waits or needing to travel far. The joined-up medical team means the clinics provide a bridge between acute hospital and community palliative care services.”
Dr David Barclay said: “This partnership is a powerful example of what can be achieved when organisations work efficiently together. By putting patients at the centre and removing organisational barriers, the trust and St Wilfrid’s and St Michael’s hospices are showing how palliative care can evolve to meet growing need while maintaining its compassionate, person-centred focus.”
As the partnership continues to grow, it offers a model of collaborative working that could inspire similar innovations elsewhere.