Palliative Integrated Care Service (PICS)
Palliative Care – Working in partnership
What is Palliative Care?
“Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients (adults and children) and their families who are facing problems associated with life-threatening illness. It prevents and relieves suffering through the early identification, correct assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, whether physical, psychosocial or spiritual.
Addressing suffering involves taking care of issues beyond physical symptoms. Palliative care uses a team approach to support patients and their caregivers. This includes addressing practical needs and providing bereavement counselling. It offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death”.
– World Health Organisation
Palliative Care by Harlington Hospice and within Michael Sobell House
Doctors, nurses and care professionals at Harlington Hospice and within Michael Sobell House are specialists in the different dimensions of palliative care.
There isn’t a write or wrong way to be cared for. Palliative care includes all various dimensions and these are prioritised by the patient. This is called ‘patient centred care’.
Everyone places a different importance on the various dimensions. This can be due to a number of reasons ranging from their condition, and their preferred place of care to their spiritual beliefs and personal goals.
Harlington Hospice and Michael Sobell House also facilitate a Ppalliative care co-ordination service across Hillingdon from Michael Sobell House. This is called ‘PICS’.
Palliative Integrated Care Service (PICS)
 In Hillingdon the different providers of palliative care work together under a model called PICS.  Under this model, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) provide the community teams.
Harlington Hospice and Hillingdon Hospital’s palliative care team work together as one larger team.
Through partnership and collaboration, palliative care services are available throughout the region 24 hours a day.
There is single PICS coordination hub for patients and family members to contact. The coordination hub is based at Michael Sobell House in the Palliative Care resource building.Â
Who is our palliative care services for?
Everyone who lives in Hillingdon or who is registered with a GP in Hillingdon is eligible for the palliative care services outlined above.
