Palliative care
Palliative care is specialised medical care for people with serious illnesses. We focus on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain and stress of a serious illness – whatever the diagnosis.
Our service
The goal of the palliative care service is to improve quality of life for both you and your family. Palliative care is provided by a team of doctors, nurses and other specialists, who work with a patient's other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. Palliative care is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided together with curative treatment.
The team includes a palliative medicine consultant, along with a registrar, three clinical nurse specialists, a social worker and an occupational therapist.
Accessing our service
You may be referred to the palliative care services if you have been diagnosed with a life-limiting condition such as cancer, heart failure or motor neuron disease. You may have:
Complex symptoms resulting from the condition and/or
Complex psychological or social needs related to the condition which persist despite the care being provided by other professionals
You may be referred to palliative care so that you can get advice and support on:
- Symptom control
- Psychological or social distress
- Future care planning
- The provision of end-of-life care
Frequently Asked Questions:
If your relative is in hospital, just speak with a member of the medical team responsible for their care and ask them to send a referral to the palliative care team. If your relative is at home or in a nursing home, the GP should be contacted and asked to refer the person to the local palliative care team.
A clinical nurse specialist is a nurse who has completed nursing training and gone on to specialise in a particular area. All clinical nurse specialists have a postgraduate diploma or master’s degree in palliative care.
The clinical nurse specialist is a liaison between the patient, their family, the medical team and GP/public health nurse and community services.
A family meeting is a meeting between you, your family/significant others and the team of people caring for you in the hospital. A family meeting is routinely organised as part of your hospital stay.
A family meeting allows for:
- Open communication between you, your family and the team
- Provision of information to all those present
- Discussion about feelings and concerns
- Discussion on what the hospital staff can provide to you and your family and what might not be possible
- Discussion of future care planning
Useful links
- St Francis Hospice Blanchardstown
- St Francis Hospice Dublin
- Our Lady's Hospice Harold's Cross & Blackrock
- Irish Hospice Foundation
- Irish Cancer Society
- Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association
- All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care
- The Palliative Hub
- The Palliative Hub - Adult
- The Palliative Hub - Young People & Children
- The Palliative Hub - Learning Platform
Watch the video - An introduction to Palliative Care
Information leaflets
- Download file: Heart Failure & Palliative Care Information Leaflet [237.1KB]
- Download file: International Access, Rights and Empowerment (IARE) Study [237.1KB]
- Download file: When You Experience A Bereavement [237.1KB]
- Download file: Relief from Cancer Pain [237.1KB]
- Download file: Relief from Constipation [237.1KB]
Referral information
The hospital consultant who is responsible for your care can refer you to the palliative care team. The palliative care team can help the medical team to refer patients to a hospice or the community palliative care service that covers the patient’s home area.
Your appointment
Palliative care is an inpatient only service.
Our consultants
Contact us
Palliative care
- T: 01 854 5006
- F: 01 860 7567
Find us
- Location:
- Palliative Care Department
- The Courtyard
- Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
- Eccles Street
- Dublin 7
- Opening hours:
- Monday to Friday, 8.15am to 12pm
Outside these hours, please call the main hospital switchboard on (01) 803 2000