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Inpatient Unit Admission

IPU Service Description

St Peter's Hospice Inpatient Unit (IPU) offers 10 Consultant-led and 5 Nurse-led beds providing high quality palliative and end of life care for patients with a variety of life limiting illnesses. The Inpatient Unit is unable to provide admission for respite or long-term care.

Consultant-led beds are suitable for:

  • Short-term admission (up to several weeks) for the assessment and management of people with symptoms, care and psychosocial needs relating to a life limiting illness, of a complexity and/or intensity that cannot be met in another setting.

  • Where more complex care needs are identified at the time of referral, further information, multi-disciplinary discussion or risk assessments may be required to ensure the Hospice is equipped to meet these appropriately.

  • Admission is prioritised according to need, rather than time on the waiting list.

Family member with a patient in the Inpatient Unit

Nurse-led beds are suitable for:

People approaching the last days to 2 weeks of life who also:

  • have a wish to die in the Hospice
  • have chosen not to have further life-prolonging treatment, including attempted resuscitation or people for whom no further life-prolonging treatment options are available
  • are not likely to need regular medical care but access to medical advice will always be available

Inpatient Unit focus of care

  • Care will be focussed on the needs of the individual and is delivered by a multi-disciplinary team.
  • Scope for investigation and treatment is focused towards supporting symptom control with pathology and radiology services provided offsite at Southmead Hospital. Provision of intravenous treatments is limited and referral to alternative services should be considered for management of acute illness.
  • The patient's physical, social and emotional needs will be assessed, as well as identifying how we can support their family and carers.
  • Patients and families have access to support from spiritual care, social work, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, complementary therapy and psychological support teams.

Inpatient Unit nurse holding hands with a patient

IPU Referral Process

Routine procedure for arranging admission

Requests for admissions are made by St Peter's Hospice and local hospital palliative care team professionals at a daily urgent care meeting. Decisions to admit patients who meet the criteria are made by the Hospice MDT at this meeting, based on priority of need. Those who are not admitted are added to a waiting list.

Requests for admission can also be made by healthcare professionals outside the urgent care meeting by speaking to a senior Hospice medic via the 24 hour clinical advice line on 0117 915 9430 or the CNS for Nurse led beds on 0117 915 9416 (Mon-Fri 09:00-17:00) or advice line at other times. This may include professionals outside the catchment area if patient is moving to the St Peter's Hospice catchment area.

IPU Discharge

As the Inpatient Unit cannot provide long-term care, whenever possible, patients will be discharged back to their usual place of residence with suitable care and equipment in place. Sometimes patients will be discharged to another setting such as a care home if their on-going care needs cannot be met at home. The discharge process must be made clear to the patient and their relatives prior to admission.