The SPC Clinical Psychology Service:

• Provides assessments and effective evidence-based psychotherapeutic treatments to individuals with a life limiting disease
• Provides support and treatment to carers, couples, and the families of people with a life-limiting illness, who present as acutely distressed and struggling to cope with the illness of their relative/partner.
• Provides support and treatment for individuals experiencing complex and/or prolonged bereavement   
• Provides bespoke education to other professionals, including MDT colleagues and community health professionals (including GPs, nursing homes and community nurses), on psychological aspects of Specialist Palliative Care and advanced communication
• Conducts and supervises research and audit

Please refer to the guidelines below when making a referral to the Specialist Palliative Care Clinical Psychology Service, based at The Rowans Hospice. Please feel free to call us to discuss any potential referral. Referral forms are available on request. We are happy to receive letters from GPs in place of a completed referral form.

You should consider making a referral when:

• The identified individual has demonstrated persistent acute emotional distress and/or is presenting with challenging 'out of character' behaviours. The distress/behaviour continues over a period of time and seems to relate to adjustment to their illness.
• The identified individual is demonstrating signs of depression and/or anxiety that are significantly reducing their quality of life, coping, and/or daily functioning 
• The identified individual is expressing suicidal thoughts and feelings 
• The identified individual is expressing unrealistic ideas (in comparison to expected treatment outcome), which are adversely impacting upon treatments, advanced care planning or relationships 
• The identified individual appears to have significant communication difficulties with their family or significant others, such that this impacts their quality of life and/or they are impeded in their adjustment to their illness 
• The identified individual is at risk of a complex bereavement reaction as a result of a number of factors including: previous mental health problems, poor social support/social isolation, poor communication skills, a known history of poor adjustment to loss, a number of concurrent life stresses 
• The identified individual is presenting with characteristics of a complex or prolonged bereavement reaction

The service accepts referrals from any member of the Specialist Palliative Care Team (including both Solent NHS Trust and Southern Health Foundation Trust), as well as healthcare professionals working within The Rowans Hospice and health professionals working in the service’s community catchment area, including GPs, DNs and AHPs.

 Referall froms are avilable on request from:

Shelagh Hemming, Personal Assistant to the Psychology Team

Tel: 023 92 238 548    Email: Shelagh.Hemming@Solent.nhs.uk