General practice palliative care meetings
GP surgeries should hold regular palliative care meetings probably at least monthly. The idea would be to discuss all people on the palliative care register as well as new referrals from all attending healthcare professionals. Documenting the discussion and any action points within the notes of the patient is important for reference. People who might want to attend or should be invited are:
| GPs | Administrators |
| Practice nurses | Clinical nurse specialists |
| District nurses | Pharmacists |
| Community specialist palliative care nurses | Social workers |
| Palliative care consultants | Care home staff |
| GP trainees | Professional carers |
| Practice managers | Occupational therapists |
| Medical students |
Areas to discuss within the meetings would include:
§ Diagnosis
§ Current status (traffic light category)
§ Predominantly under secondary care or primary care and the treatment thus far
§ Social situation
§ Advance care plans in place or not
§ Do not resuscitate decision made or not
§ DS1500 needed or not
§ Name of carer or next of kin and emergency contacts
§ Have out-of-hours been notified or not
§ Is anticipatory prescribing available or not
§ What is most important to the patient