COVID-19 and palliative, end of life and bereavement care in secondary care: role of the specialty and guidance to aid care

Summary

This guidance is aimed at all professionals carers supporting patients with COVID-19, and their families, in the hospital setting – whether this is in critical care or elsewhere in the hospital.

All hospitals have access to specialist palliative care teams, whether as in-house hospital palliative care teams or as in-reach teams from the local palliative care services. These teams will be able to provide additional advice and guidance but it will not be possible for them to provide direct care to everybody who needs it, especially as the pandemic progresses. 

This guidance includes flow charts to help aid treatment and symptom control.

Nb: The most current version of the guidance document will be available on the public-facing pages of the Association for Palliative Medicine website (https://apmonline.org/). It is advised that you always check that you are referring to the most current version.