Palliative Care

How we can help you

Palliative care looks after people who are living with a life-limiting illness or one that cannot be treated and will lead to their death (called a terminal illness).

Palliative care can improve your symptoms and help you achieve the best possible quality of life through your illness. We aim to prevent and relieve suffering by treating your pain and other problems, whether they are physical, psychosocial and spiritual. Our team can also help your family members to manage at this time. 

Our services

Inpatient consultations - visiting you in hospital

We visit you when you are an inpatient in a ward at Prince of Wales Hospital. We provide specialist advice to manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life. We can also help you arrange to get home and have palliative care in your home.

Community service - visiting you in your home

We visit you in your home to help you manage your symptoms, care for you at the end of your life and support you and your family with your loss and grief. We can help you with arrangements if you wish to die in your home. Our nurses, doctors and allied health professionals can visit you. We also can lend you equipment.

We can visit you 7 days a week between 8.00 am and 6.00 pm. You can also call us via the hospital switchboard outside these hours on (02) 9382 2222. 

Residential aged care facilities 

Our specialised Nurse Practitioner can visit you if you live in a nursing home in our hospital's catchment area. This service is available Monday to Friday and your family doctor (GP) can access specialist advice over the telephone at weekends.

Outpatient clinic appointments at our hospital

We have two services which involve you coming to our hospital for outpatient clinic appointments:

Clinic name Description Day, time Location
Palliative Care Medical Clinic You will see a Doctor who specialises in Palliative Care and will give you advice and support. Monday, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays

Nelune Comprehensive Cancer Centre within the Bright Alliance Building (Building 3 on our campus map)

Phone: 02 9382 5111

Palliative Supportive Multidisciplinary Clinic This clinic is for people who have a life-threatening illness, non-malignant illness or neurodisability and are in the last 12 - 24 months of their life. You will be reviewed by a team of specialist health professionals including your GP, medical specialists, nurses and allied health professionals. We can also arrange telehealth and home visits. Visit our webpage for more information on this service.

Tuesdays 9.00 am to 2.00 pm

Professorial Suite, Level 2, Campus Centre Building, Prince of Wales Hospital (Building 16 our campus map).

Phone: 02 9382 0400

 

Our palliative care team includes:

  • Doctors
  • Specialist nurses (Clinical Nurse Consultants and Nurse Practitioners)
  • Occupational therapists 
  • Physiotherapists
  • Pharmacists
  • Speech Pathologists
  • Social workers
  • Dieticians
  • Clinical psychologists.

We also work with your family, Medical Specialist and family doctor (GP).

If you live in our hospitals catchment area and have a life-limiting illness such as cancer, emphysema or heart disease you may be referred by your local family doctor (GP) or a medical specialist to use our services. Ask your doctor to make an electronic referral for you. 

We will send you an appointment letter in the mail, confirming the date and time and where you should go for your appointment.

If you need to change or cancel your appointment, please call us on 9382 5111.

  • Current Medicare card or Veteran Affairs card
  • Any Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card or Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card.
  • Your Private Health Fund Membership card if you are currently insured with a private health fund.
  • A list of your current medications.
  • Recent X-rays or medical images and their reports, if applicable.
  • Activities to keep you entertained while waiting (for example, a book, music player with headphones, crosswords).

Please let us know if you need an interpreter. You can contact us by telephoning the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) National on 131 450. Tell the operator what language you speak and then ask the interpreter to set up a telephone conversation between you, an interpreter, and the healthcare professional you want to speak with.

We are a teaching hospital, and you may be asked to be involved in research or for a student to be present at your appointment. You have a right to say no, and this will not impact on the services we provide.