• Starship Clinical Guidance
  • Te Toka Tumai Intranet
  • NZ Formulary
  • Auckland Regional Health Pathways
  • Antibiotic Prescribing Guidelines
  • My Shortlist

Useful information about working in Palliative Care

See also the Palliative Care Intranet site

Who to call

  • The Adult Hospital Palliative Care (Te Awhi Oranga) team consists of Palliative Care Physicians and Clinical Nurse Specialists and operates from Monday to Friday 8:00am-4.30pm.

  • After hours, weekends and public holidays please refer to the Palliative Care webpage on Hippo Palliative Care .

  • For urgent advice or other enquiries, contact the Triage clinician

  • Please use the e-referral system on RCP to send referrals to the hospital palliative care team.

  • For symptom control guidelines and resources including care in the last days of life, please click on the Symptom Control and Last Days of Life Care blue tiles on the Palliative Care webpage on Hippo Palliative Care Guidelines and Resources and Last Days of Life Care .

Paediatric Palliative Care is provided by Starship.

When to contact Palliative care

Refer to the Adult Hospital Palliative Care team for:

  • Difficult symptom control in adults with life-threatening illness, for example pain, shortness of breath, anxiety, nausea and vomiting Palliative Care Guidelines and Resources.

  • Care for people with complex needs in the last days of life Last Days of Life Care.

  • Complex decision-making in life-threatening illness where the outcome is uncertain Advance Planning and Care Goals.

  • Support for people exploring assisted dying – please note we do not provide nor assess people for eligibility for assisted dying Palliative Care and Assisted Dying.

  • Specific information regarding hospice and support with complex discharges Discharge process and Palliative care services in the community.

  • Uncertainty about management of syringe drivers Syringe driver resources.

  • Support for psychological, social, cultural and spiritual care needs associated with life-threatening illness Psychological, Spiritual and Cultural Support.

  • Support for staff caring for people with palliative care needs Learning and Development.

Referral to palliative care is based on NEED and NOT on diagnosis or prognosis. It is relevant for any person with a life-threatening illness, non-malignant or malignant, at ANY STAGE. The most common problem we encounter is seeing people and/or their whānau who could have benefited from earlier referral.