Click here for covid-19 update on end of life care and community palliative care

Click here for the ELHCP page which is the main site for End of Life Care and has comprehensive information

In-hours enhanced service
Ten pharmacies are stocking an agreed range of medicines used typically for end-of-life patients. Pharmacists have undergone extra training in palliative care.

Out-of-hours enhanced service
Each of the ten pharmacies take part in an on-call pharmacy rota providing 24/7 access to these medicines. The on call pharmacist can be contacted  on 0845 299 3471. This number is only for use by health care professionals and the service cannot be accessed directly by members of the public.

Courier services
Supports access to these medicines available via any of the ten pharmacies.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusions

Courier services
Although this should only be accessed in exceptional circumstances, it could be used where at least one of the following situations applies:

• There are no appropriate carers that can collect the prescription/medicines
• The patient lives more than 1.5 miles from one of the EoLC network pharmacies and the patient is not on a public transport route
• The patient is expected to die within the next few days and all carers want to spend this time with the patient (i.e. carers should not be spending this valuable last hours travelling to and from health providers)
• There is an urgent need for the medicines, either for patient clinical need or to fit in with limited staff availability e.g. community nurses will be attending at a set time to set up a syringe driver