Information
Marie Curie Hospice offers a range of services. Full details can be found on the Marie Curie Edinburgh website. Marie Curie Hospice, Edinburgh | Care and support
Marie Curie Hospice’s services are for those living in South/Southeast Edinburgh, Midlothian and West Lothian only.
TheSingle Point of Access
Provides a single point of contact and access for all hospice services/support
- Responds to requests for advice and information from patients, families, health care professionals and other services
- Triage of all new referrals
- Specialist telephone assessment to determine ongoing needs and appropriate service for referral.
- Manages waiting lists and admissions to all the specialist hospice services
- Inpatient care, (link to new pages)
- Community specialist palliative care team
- Enhanced Hospice Care @ Home
- Wellbeing
- Outpatients
- Patient and Family Support Team
All referrals are managed by the Single Point of Access team
Who can refer:
Any healthcare professional can refer although we request that the patient’s own GP is aware of the referral
Who to refer:
Patients over 16 years their families and informal carers) with complex problems associated with active advanced and progressive illness, irrespective of underlying diagnosis.
‘Complex problems’ are defined as those which are: severe and unable to be managed by current care team or setting. Please consider early contact with the team if you have any questions regarding referral.
If requesting an inpatient admission: the person must have active, progressing life limiting illness resulting in complex physical, psychosocial, emotional and/or spiritual problems.
Who not to refer:
People who do not have specialist palliative care needs
People who do not have a life limiting illness.
Please Contact SPOA for advice if unsure.
How to refer:
Referrals accepted via SCI Gateway (TBA) or can be sent on a downloaded hospice referral form and emailed to: ci.mche.admin@nhs.scot
You can also phone the Single Point of Access Team: 0131 470 2253
A phone call is often helpful to highlight urgent needs and to provide background.
The team is available Mon- Friday 8.30am-4.30pm (except Bank Holidays).
All new referrals are responded to within 7 working days; urgent referrals within 2 working days – Calls for patients already known are responded to by the SPOA Team on the same day or can be scheduled for contact by community team that know them the next day.
For professional advice on patients known Marie Curie or within the Hospice catchment area:
Monday-Friday 08.30 to 16.30 (Except bank holidays), please phone the Single Point of Access Team on 0131 470 2253
For professional advice out with the above hours, lease contact the 1st on call palliative care doctor who can be accessed via hospital switchboard on 0131 536 1000
For syringe driver medicines compatibilities please check Syringe pump / driver compatibles | Right Decisions initially.
Advice on compatibilities not listed in Right Decisions can be obtained by contacting the hospice Single Point of Access Team.
Further links to useful clinical information can be found in the Resources Tab on this page
