NHS to fund palliative care ambulance service

Nov 27 2009 by Alison Lowson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

NHS Tayside is to fund a palliative care ambulance service for the next year, the only of its kind in Scotland.

The Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a £55,880 donation from the NHS Tayside Board Endowment Fund to cover the costs of the dedicated service for patients across Tayside.

It has been introduced to provide a flexible, responsive service specifically for patients with palliative care needs.

It will allow the transfer of patients nearing the end of their life to their preferred place of care, usually their home.

NHS Tayside is working in partnership to deliver this service with the Scottish Ambulance Service and Marie Curie Cancer Care as part of the Marie Curie Delivering Choice programme.

Elizabeth Forsyth, NHS Tayside non-executive director who sits on the Board of Trustees, said: “This service is vital to patients and their families during a time which can be very distressing for them.

“The care ambulance allows NHS Tayside to be responsive to urgent requests for immediate discharge to patients who are nearing the end of their life, allowing them time at home with their families.’’