End of life care and support
'End of life' care (also known as palliative care) refers to the care of people who are in the final stages of their life and aims to allow them to live in as comfortable and dignified a way as possible until they die.
It is about providing support that meets the needs of both the person who is at the end stage of life, rather than dying, and the people close to them.
People should be treated with dignity and respect, and where possible, in the place of their choosing, to ensure that they receive high standards of care accessed through the appropriate pathways at the end of their life.
The NHS Choices website provides information on all aspects of end of life care.
The National Council for Palliative Care provides information and advice for patients, carers, health, and social care professionals.
The Dying Matters website provides advice on what to do if you are concerned about the quality of the end of life care being received by someone you know.
The Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has advice on palliative and end of life care.
Bedfordshire Partnership for Excellence in Palliative Support (PEPS) Coordination Centre
People wanting to use Bedfordshire PEPS will need to be registered with a Bedfordshire GP.
A referral to the scheme will be made by a GP or another health or social care professional. Once set up on the scheme, the patient and their family or carer will be advised how to access and use the PEPS Coordination Centre.
The Bedfordshire Partnership for Excellence in Palliative Support (PEPS) is a first point of contact for patients, families, carers, and health and social care professionals requiring 24-hour advice, care, and support.
The coordination centre can access up-to-date information about the patient’s condition (following their consent), enabling care to be provided in line with the patient’s preferences and choices.