Paediatric Palliative Care Service

Our Vision: Helping children and families live life to the max.

Our Mission: Provide excellent service to children and families facing life-limiting illness through:

1. Partnership with families to individualise care
2. Specialised expert interdisciplinary team work across locations and diversities offering holistic care
3. Collaboration and advocacy with health care and community resources.
   

We Value:

• The preciousness of life
• The voice of the child and family
• The Provision of safe spaces
• The individual experience and expression

This we do through:

The Paediatric Palliative Care Service undertakes:

• the provision of clinical and consultative service
• coordination of general practitioners and health care agencies in the community
• support for staff in hospital medical units, metropolitan and regional health service centres
• coordination of services and case management
• the provision of education in the specialty of paediatric palliative care.

The service has a commitment to best practice and ongoing research.

How to access the service

Referrals

Referrals are accepted from health care professionals across the care spectrum. Families may also self-refer, with subsequent contact made with treating teams.

The criteria for admission to the Paediatric Palliative Care Service require that a child be:

• aged between 0 and 18 years
• diagnosed with a life-limiting illness
• receiving their acute health care services in South Australia.

Information required for referral includes

• Name of child, date of birth, UR number and contact details
• Identity of primary carer
• Consent for referral from family
• Medical details – diagnosis/differential diagnosis, present condition, results of recent medical tests
• Medical team and other agencies involved.

The referral may be posted, faxed or e-mailed to the service. Referrals are also taken by phone. The following forms may be used:

SA Health Palliative Care Referral Form  (226kb)

WCH Referral for Consultation and/or Management Form  (234kb)

Allocation of referrals

The Paediatric Palliative Care Unit will allocate its primary nursing care workload in the regions. Paediatric palliative care nurses, doctors and therapists will develop liaisons and professional relationships with health care providers in the regions.

Admission to the service

All referrals to the service are assessed by paediatric palliative care clinicians. If it is determined as an appropriate and value-adding, they will be accepted to receive services.

Resources/Publications

WCH Palliative Care After Hours Service  (684kb)

WCH - Home Care Companion  (915kb)

Palliative Care in Paediatrics  (1.7mb)

Grief support following the death of a child  (this web site)

National Association for Loss and Grief

Journeys - Palliative care for children and teenagers (Palliative Care Australia web site)

SIDS and Kids

Hours

General Business 8.30am - 5pm weekdays

24 hour on-call service, after hours contact 8161 7000 pager 5719

Contact details

Nurse Practitioner (Clinical Lead)
Sara Fleming
Ph (08) 8161 7994 or to page call (08) 8161 7000 then request pager number 4386
Email sara.fleming@sa.gov.au

Clinical Practice Consultant
Julie Duffield
Ph (08) 8161 7994 or to page call (08) 8161 7000 then request pager number 5560
Email julie.duffield@sa.gov.au

Clinical Practice Consultant
Carina Boehm
Ph (08) 8161 7994 or to page call (08) 8161 7000 then request pager number 5849
Email carina.boehm@sa.gov.au

Specialist Medical Consultant
Dr Mary Cossich
Ph (08) 8161 7994 or to page call (08) 8161 7000 then request pager number 4702
Email mary.cossich@sa.gov.au

Location

7th Floor Samuel Way Building
Women's and Children's Hospital

Mailing address

Paediatric Palliative Care Service
Women's and Children's Hospital
72 King William Road
North Adelaide
South Australia 5006

Phone/fax/email

Phone (08) 8161 7994

Fax (08) 8161 6631

Email Health.CYWHSPallCarePediatricMedicine@sa.gov.au

last modified: 04 May 2016

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