Information
St Columba’s Hospice care offers a range of services. Full details can be found on the Hospice website.
St Columba’s services are for those living in North East/North West Edinburgh and East Lothian only, with Marie Curie Hospice Edinburgh covering other areas.
The Access team
This is the single point of contact for all hospice services/support and:
- Responds to requests for advice/information/clinical services information from patients, families, colleagues and other services
- Undertakes comprehensive initial assessment by phone to respond to immediate need and triage to the appropriate service
- Manages all waiting lists and admissions to the hospice inpatient unit
- Provides urgent/unscheduled clinical advice for patients while awaiting community team review
- Can refer on to our Care at Home team Co-ordinator
Hospice Inpatient Ward
- 15 specialist palliative care beds
- Short term stay for symptom control
- End of life care
Care is delivered by our multi-disciplinary team which is overseen by our senior nursing staff, consultant medical team and specialist pharmacist. Holistic support, goal setting and rehabilitative palliative care are provided by our Allied Health Professional and Chaplaincy
Informal visits for patients and families can be arranged via info@stcolumbashospice.org.uk
Hospice at Home
St Columba’s Hospice at Home is made up of 3 different teams which work in collaboration. This means you do not necessarily have to identify which specific team you wish to refer to, triaging and allocation to the appropriate services is carried out by our Access team based on the patient’s needs.
For more information on the support offered by each team please click St Columba’s Hospice at Home or select the Hospice at Home tab at the top of this page.
Please note:
Patients living in East Lothian are supported by the East Lothian Macmillan Community Palliative Care Team. Tel: 01620 642710 Email: loth.elpallcareteam@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
The Hospice Arts Service
- Music therapy,
- Visual arts, groups and 1:1 sessions
- Virtual and face to face opportunities
For more information please visit the following link: Arts Service – St Columba’s Hospice Palliative Care, Edinburgh (stcolumbashospice.org.uk)
Compassionate Neighbours and Gardeners Programme
Matches people who may be lonely or socially isolated with others in their locality in the hope of developing genuine, caring friendships. For more information please visit the following link: Compassionate Neighbours & Gardeners – St Columba’s Hospice Palliative Care, Edinburgh (stcolumbashospice.org.uk)
Please click on the Tab at the top of this page or the link below for more information on the following services:
Wellbeing Service: Solo/Group sessions with focus on rehabilitative and holistic palliative care
Family support service for adults and children
All referrals are via the Access team which is the single point of access for all clinical services.
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.
How to refer:
Referrals accepted via SCI Gateway or can be sent on a downloaded hospice referral form emailed to: SCH.Access@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk.
You can also phone the Access Team: 0131 551 7751 or email: SCH.Access@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk.
A phone call is often helpful to highlight urgent needs and to provide background.
The team is available Mon- Friday 9am-5pm (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 Access 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 to St Columba’s Hospice Care or within the Hospice catchment area: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm (Except bank holidays) Please phone the Access Team on 0131 551 7751
For professional advice out with the above hours: Please 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 driver compatibles | Right Decisions (scot.nhs.uk) initially. Advice on compatibilities not listed in Right Decisions can be obtained by contacting the hospice Access team.
Further links to useful clinical information can be found in the Resources Tab on this page
Ask Social Care Direct for advice – The City of Edinburgh Council
Syringe driver compatibles | Right Decisions (scot.nhs.uk)
Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines – Home First resource for health care professionals in Scotland for symptom control guidance and general palliative care advice.
MedicinesComplete — Log in Access to latest Palliative Care Formulary and Extended Syringe Driver Compatibilities
Can be accessed via Shibboleth/Athens login link using usual NHS Lothian e-mail address and password
Community Pharmacy Networks – Palliative Care (nhslothian.scot) Provides links to up to date lists of Palliative Care Network Pharmacies across NHS Lothian, Palliative Medicine Stocklists and Contact details for Specialist Palliative Pharmacist
STAFF PROCESS FOR BOOKING PALLIATIVE AMBULANCE VIA FLOW CENTRE (nhslothian.scot)
