Palliative Medicine

The Department of Palliative Medicine team provides a multi-disciplinary approach to palliative care for patients with a life-limiting illness and their families

We provide a full service to both cancer and non-cancer patients, and offer an outpatient service following referrals from GPs and consultants. The focus of our service is early referral and involvement with a particular emphasis on detection of patients attending the Emergency Department who have unmet supportive and palliative care needs

Services                     

• Pain and symptom control
• Psycho-social support
• Discharge planning
• Referral to community services
• Emergency Department and ward-based consultation
• Outpatient clinics
• Bereavement support

The death of a loved one can be a painful and devastating experience, we help you to come to terms with the new reality of your grief and loss, by providing support for families of the deceased. This includes an Annual Bereavement programme offering a positive forum to support bereaved families.

In addition to our Annual Bereavement programme, SVUH is delighted to announce that it is introducing RAINBOWS to children of parents/guardians who have been bereaved. 

Rainbows is an inclusive service, which is facilitated by The Medical Social Work Department and is run in a group setting over a nine-week period supporting children and young people between the ages of 7-18 years old who are experiencing grief and loss, resulting from bereavement of a parent or guardian in the hospital. Children who attend this programme can meet with other children of similar age and loss experience. Children very often do not have the language to express their feelings around their grief and loss. The Rainbows programme supports the child/young person to understand, express, acknowledge and share their grief and emotions in a safe and controlled environment.

Rainbows is a referral service and you can also self-refer. If you would like your child to attend, please email BereavementMSW@svhg.ie

Consultants

• Dr. Eoin Tiernan
• Dr. Des McMahon

Staff structure

• Dr. Eoin Tiernan/Dr. Des McMahon (Palliative Medicine Consultants)
• Dr. Mary Anne Larkin (SpR)
• Dr. Shane Hanratty (Registrar 0.5 Rehab)
• Dr. Leisi Garcia (Registrar)
• Barbara Whyte (Clinical Nurse Specialist)
• Angela Moffett (Clinical Nurse Specialist)
• Louise Rooney (Clinical Nurse Specialist)
• Olga Price (Clinical Nurse Specialist)
• Jackie Acton (Secretary)

Referral information

Referrals from within the hospital are accepted by means of submitting the dedicated palliative medicine referral form to the department and by direct phone contact with members of the team. We also accept consultant and GP referrals.