THE MYTON Hospices’ GP Information Clinic has sparked national interest.
Hospices across the UK are now exploring this new approach to improving early access to palliative and end of life care.
By breaking down misconceptions around hospice care, the clinics, set up by the charity that has hospices in Coventry, Warwick and Rugby, are helping to ensure more people receive the support they need earlier in their illness.
After a successful pilot in 2021 with 15 GP practices in Coventry, Myton has spent almost four years developing and refining the model, supporting hundreds of patients and their loved ones.
Myton’s GP Information Clinics now use a hybrid model that sees a monthly clinic operating across two Primary Care Networks in Leamington, Kenilworth and Warwick.
The clinics are designed to ensure people with life-limiting illnesses are connected with the right support earlier in their illness. Working in partnership with Primary Care Networks helps streamline referral pathways, build a better understanding of hospice care, and support patients and their carers to feel more confident in accessing available support from the point of diagnosis.
Importantly, the clinics also strengthen relationships with GP practices, ensuring more healthcare professionals understand the full range of services Myton offers.
Myton’s community engagement manager Olivia Bowskill said: “I am incredibly proud of the difference our GP Information Clinics have made – not just to the patients we’ve seen here at Myton, but in the way it’s helping to transform perceptions of hospice care within the community.
“Many of the people we’ve supported through these clinics would not have accessed our services as early otherwise, and that early intervention can make such a difference to someone’s quality of life.
“We are, I believe, the only hospice offering this unique service that is fully embedded within the GP practice setting and it’s so important to share our learnings so that more people can benefit. The fact that other hospices want to replicate this model means more people across the UK could get the care and support they need, earlier in their illness.”
Visit www.mytonhospice.org for more details.
