How to refer

Information and guidance on how to refer patients to St Christopher's

Clinicians may refer using the form below or by phoning 020 8768 4582 (9am to 5pm Monday to Friday) or 020 8768 4500 (24 hours). Please telephone for all emergency referrals.

Downloads

Once completed please email to st.christophers@nhs.net.

Please make sure that you send this form using a secure email account such as NHS email.

All referrals to St Christophers will require the following information to be completed with the following:

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

  • Referrer’s name and contact details
  • Demographics (Essential Patient Details)
  • GP Details (Name/Surgery Address)
  • Consent (Has this referral been discussed with the patient?)
  • Reason for referral
  • Further details of current palliative care problems
  • Primary Diagnosis
  • Brief history of Diagnosis(es)/key treatments
  • Other Past Medical and Psychiatric history

DESIRABLE CRITERIA:

  • Prognosis
  • Allergies
  • NHS number
  • Protected characteristics (Ethnicity, Sexual orientation, Gender, Disability)
  • NOK / main contact
  • Up to date medication list

Please note:

  • If any of the essential criteria boxes on the form are left blank or state “see attached” our admin team will return this and request that the form be completed to our minimum requirements
  • If any of the desirable criteria boxes on the form are left blank – we shall process the referral but also write back and request that you send this information to us
  • The form WILL NOT be reviewed by a clinical member of the team before it is returned
  • Please do not cut and paste from hospital records and please summarise on the referral form any attached information

If you would like to integrate our referral form into your electronic patient record system, please email communications@stchristophers.org.uk

We welcome discussion with community or hospital colleagues about cases where they need urgent advice, are uncertain whether to refer or need help signposting to other services. Advice for professionals from senior medical and nursing staff is available 24 hours a day (020 8768 4500). Anticipatory prescribing for end of life guidance can be found here.

Healthcare professionals may refer any patients with advanced cancer, or any other advanced, progressive and life limiting non-malignant disease, where the complexity of the illness needs the services of a specialist palliative care team to achieve control of symptoms and social, psychological and spiritual support to the patient and family.

Any patient with an advanced, progressive and life-limiting disease, where the complexity of the illness or situation needs the expertise of a palliative care team. Please make sure that the patient, or their family if a patient lacks capacity, has consented to the referral.

Our catchment area covers Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham, Bromley and Croydon. Both the patient and their GP must be in one of these boroughs.

Patients with GPs in some of Lambeth and Southwark may be under neighbourhood community palliative care teams or in the catchment area of Royal Trinity Hospice: we can clarify whether they are in our catchment area. Patients out of their GP’s home visiting area will be encouraged to register with a local practice. Patients from other areas will be considered on an individual basis.

Referrals can be made for support in the community (including care homes), outpatients or the inpatient unit. The team most suited to the patient’s needs and goals will lead on their care.

A period of care and support could include:

For inpatients, St Christopher’s can also offer:

  • Neural blockade including epidural and intrathecal infusions
  • Intravenous treatment of hypercalcaemia, clinically assisted hydration, elective blood transfusion and some intravenous antibiotics (TPN can be managed with external support)
  • Elective ascitic drainage.

Other services under the St Christopher’s ‘umbrella’ include:

  • Inpatient respite care
  • Long-term inpatient care
  • Long-term weekly day care.

Chronic pain management advice for housebound patients may be offered on a consultancy basis, but we do not replicate chronic pain services.

Our multi-professional team assesses all referrals. Out of hours referrals are assessed by our on-call nursing and medical teams. We respond according to the need, urgency and complexity of the issues presented to us by the referrer. This depends on the amount and quality of information received: incomplete referral forms will cause delays as we chase this essential information.

Emergency referrals will be responded to within 24 hours whereas for non-urgent referrals, patients will be given information about St Christopher’s and assessed by telephone within 14 days.

Patients on the inpatient unit will usually be discharged when our expertise is no longer required in an inpatient setting.  Our average length of stay is 2 weeks. Patients will then be reviewed at home or in the care home by our community team for a further period of care. If patients are admitted for end of life care we will still parallel plan for discharge if they have low complex needs and do not directly need our expertise.

Community patients who are stable and who have completed their planned care interventions are reviewed by the multi-professional team involved and may be discharged from our services. Patients, carers and professionals can all re-activate a new period of care by contacting the team on 020 8768 4582 with updated information on the patient’s needs.

St Christopher’s also offers a wide range of activities that are open to everyone including all patients, families and carers, both past and present.

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Our mission is to promote and provide skilled and compassionate palliative care of the highest quality working in and through our communities.

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Contacting us

Details of how to reach the right team at St Christopher's

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