This is the LINKNurse page with information and links to help you in your day to day work. Please send us your suggestions as to what you want to see on this page and we will do our best to provide it.

Nursing Home LINKNurse scheme

This scheme was set up in 2006 to increase the palliative care education available to nursing home staff following an educational needs assessment in which the need was demonstrated.

In the first few months the number of staff accessing palliative care education had increased by 400%! Since then a Link Nurse from each nursing home has attended regular study days at TBEC and a Palliative Care Nurse Specialist designated for the home has made regular contact to offer support.

The project has been so successful that it has been included in ‘Our NHS, Our Future: North West Clinical Pathway Group Reports’ published in June 2008 and ‘Building of Firm Foundations—Improving End of Life Care in Care Homes: Examples of Innovative Practice’ produced by the National Council for Palliative Care.

Dates for meetings 2013:

15th March, 14th June, 13th September and 13th December 2013

Hospital LINKNurse scheme

This scheme has been running for longer than the one above and consists of one Link nurse from each hospital ward at Southport & Ormskirk NHS Trust who attends regular study days and then cascades information to their colleagues on the ward.

Useful documents you can download

• Record of Breakthrough Medication form
• Contact with Palliative care Nurse Specialist form
• Subcutaneous infusion (CSCI) or Transdermal patch (TD) 4 hourly check record sheet
• Record of End of Life Care form
• Staff Employment and Training Register