The Living with Heart Failure / COPD Programme is a 16-week programme in which you will receive a wide range of information to help support you in living with your condition.
Our aim is to provide support and guidance for you to gain a better understanding and control over your condition.
To provide you with education, advice and support for you to become more actively involved with the management and monitoring of your condition.
To enhance quality of life for heart failure / COPD patients by ensuring you receive an individualized patient management plan. This will enable you to play a more active role in the management of your care.
To closely monitor patients to identify potential occurrences of a crisis and act accordingly.
To reduce incidents of unnecessary emergency admissions to hospital.
To implement advanced care planning initiatives including preferred place of care and death.
To promote effective communication between all the members of the multidisciplinary team involved in your care pathway.
To develop and improve palliative care services within the community where appropriate.
You are eligible to access this programme if you have a diagnosis of heart failure and /or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease confirmed.
Referrals can be made by any health professional who is involved in your heart failure and /or COPD care.
Once the referral has been received a letter to confirm a place on the programme will be sent to the patient. It will also state the commencement date.
A letter will also be sent to the patients GP confirming a place on the programme and when it is due to start.
The GP will be asked to confirm whether the patient requires oxygen. If this is the case, then they will be asked to send a copy of the prescription to the hospice which will be kept in the patients notes.
The team will meet prior to the last week of the programme to assess how well you have benefited from attending, and to discuss what will happen once you have finished the programme itself.
If it is felt that you have gained maximum benefit from attending, then you will be encouraged to join the heart failure / COPD support group.
A letter will be sent to your GP confirming that you have successfully completed the programme.