Palliative and End of Life Care in Pre-hospital Care with the PEoLC team. Episode 1

In this episode of the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we explore the
evolving role of ambulance clinicians in palliative and
end-of-life care. We’re joined by a dedicated team working to
improve how prehospital services support patients in their final
months, ensuring care is compassionate, coordinated, and
patient-centred.


We introduce the team and their roles before breaking down the
key concepts of palliative and end-of-life care. We discuss the
differences between generalist and specialist palliative care,
the challenges of identifying patients in the last year of life,
and the critical role ambulance services play in this journey.


The conversation then moves to the service gaps and educational
challenges identified within prehospital care. We examine
referral pathways, tools like SPICT for early identification, and
how technology shapes advanced care planning (ACP) to help inform
decision-making. The team also highlights the importance of
education in building clinician confidence when navigating these
complex cases.


Looking ahead, we discuss the future of prehospital palliative
care, including the role of simulation training, national
collaboration, and addressing healthcare inequalities. We also
explore opportunities for joint learning, debriefs, and improved
care pathways to strengthen the connection between ambulance
services and specialist palliative care teams.


The SPICT tool can be found here:
https://www.spict.org.uk/the-spict/





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