Health Professionals
Supporting Health Professionals
Providing palliative care is a shared journey.
We work alongside health professionals across the Taupō region to provide specialist palliative care support, education, and resources. This section brings together information, referral pathways, clinical guidance, and learning opportunities to help deliver the best possible care for patients and whānau.
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Eligibility for palliative care is for those with a life expectancy of approximately 12 months or less, and who need more support than the primary care teams alone can provide.
Lake Taupō Hospice accepts initial referrals from GPs, medical specialists and other healthcare professional agencies or directly from patients or their family/whanau.
Each referral is assessed by our clinical staff in collaboration with the patient’s own doctor. Referrals are accepted through the process outlined in the Lake Taupō Hospice Specialist Palliative Care Services Admission/Transfer Process.
Patients whose health status plateaus or stabilises may be discharged to primary care services and can be readmitted at any time.
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Lake Taupō Hospice has a visiting palliative medicine specialist service for face-to-face consults at an outpatient clinic service, held at Lake Taupō Hospital or in the patients own home, once a month.
A Palliative Medicine Specialist is available for advice 24/7 via the Waikato Hospital switchboard on 07 839 8899 ask for the Palliative Specialist on duty/call.
For specialised palliative care nursing support and advice call Lake Taupō Hospice on 07 377 4252 to speak to a nurse.
Making a referral
Referrals can now be made directly from most GP practices via BPAC. This is a fast and easy way to refer and allows you to attach the most up to date patient notes and results.
For non-GP and hospital referrals, please download and complete the referral form and submit with supporting documents to info@laketaupohospice.co.nz
Need hospice care urgently? Please ring 07 377 4252
Medication Authority Form
This for is for prescribers (doctors, nurse practitioners, etc) to enable hospice community nurses and aged residential care nurses the authority to administer medications already dispensed to patients.
Education & Training
Lake Taupō Hospice offers a range of training programs in palliative care for health professionals and family/whānau, ensuring high-quality, compassionate care that reflects best practice and supports ongoing professional development
Palliative Care Lecture Series
The Palliative Care Lecture Series is a monthly webinar designed for healthcare professionals with an interest in palliative care.
The lectures are delivered via zoom on the first Thursday of every month from February to December 7.30am to 8.30am.
Syringe Driver Competency
The Syringe Driver Competency course assists registered nurses with the theoretical and practical knowledge and skills needed to manage syringe drivers, and for enrolled nurses to be competent in checking syringe drivers.
Clinical Support Guidelines
Lake Taupō Hospice Trust has adopted and endorsed the clinical symptom management guidelines utilised by the Waikato Regional Palliative Specialist Centre.
The guidelines can be found here:
Palliative Care Handbook: Guidelines for Clinical Management and Symptom Control 9th Edition 2019
Health care professionals are able to download a pdf version here
Additional palliative care information can be found on the Midland Community Health Pathways, which now also includes a palliative pathway.