Community Palliative Care

The Northern Ireland Hospice provides specialist palliative care in the community for those living in the Northern Trust area.

General Practitioner (GP)

Your GP has overall responsibility for your care while you are at home and can refer you to other professionals to help with any problems you may have. You can talk to your doctor about all the options for treating your illness and controlling symptoms or any aspect of care that you may be worried about.

If you need urgent advice or care out of hours which cannot wait until your own doctor’s surgery is open, you can telephone Dalriada Urgent Care on 028 2566 3500. It is advisable that you telephone first so that you are given the appropriate advice from experienced staff. Dalriada Urgent Care is available from 6pm to 8am Monday to Friday and there is on-going cover at weekends and on public holidays.

District Nursing

District nurses are experienced community nurses who work closely with the GP. They can visit you regularly to give a range of nursing care based on your individual needs. They can also advise your relatives on how to do everyday tasks such as washing or moving you. The district nurse will assess and coordinate your care and can arrange for equipment or other services to help look after you, if these are needed.

Hospital Diversion Nursing Team (HDNT)

The Trust’s Hospital Diversion Nursing Team aims to prevent admission to hospital. It helps to get patients home sooner and can also help reduce attendance at Emergency Departments.

The Team provides services to palliative patients with acute health care needs, for example, intravenous antibiotics or blood transfusions in their own homes.  The service operates seven days per week, including public holidays.

Referrals to the Team are made by district nurses, Dalriada Urgent Care or by staff in the acute hospitals.

The Team operates in the Antrim/Ballymena, East Antrim, Causeway and Mid Ulster areas daily between 8.45am and 10.45pm

There are many other professionals who can help people with palliative care needs at home, eg. through equipment, practical or emotional support.  To help decide which professionals could be helpful, please read our leaflet on Palliative Care and Services available.