THE HSE HAS signed a collaborative agreement with the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) to cover cooperation on joint projects to improve palliative care and end-of-life care services in Ireland.

The IHF said today the agreement aims to deliver maximum benefits to those accessing palliative care services avoid unnecessary duplication and maximise opportunities for cross sector working.

Commenting on the agreement today, Director of Acute Hospitals at the HSE, Ian Carter said:

Patients nearing end of life may be cared for in hospices and in their own homes. However many people also die in our acute hospitals and there are specialist palliative care teams which provide services to both in-patients and out-patients.

He added that the HSE is fully committed to ensuring that it maintains and improves on palliative care services.

The collaboration is on a number of areas including a review of palliative care for all, primary care, advance care planning, bereavement and addressing gaps in service prison.

The IHF said there is also potential to expand the Hospice Friendly Hospitals programme into community hospitals and work on the development of palliative care with dementia.

Read: 2,500 patients a year are denied access to hospice services>

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