St. Patrick's Hospital (Cork) Ltd., which incorporates Marymount Hospice,
thè Regional Specialist Palliative Care Unit, was funded by thè
Atlantic Philanthropies to establish a group of international experts
to advise on hospice design and operational policies. The findings of
this group are contained in the Report of thè International Expert
Advisory Group on Palliative Care, which was launched on the 9th March
2006.
The report's findings include recommendations on the structure and organisation
of palliative care services, generai design and planning considerations,
education and research, and benchmarks for best practice.
The
report should ideally be read in conjunction with the Report of the
National Advisory Committee on Palliative Care, (Department of Health
& Children, 2001) and Design Guidelines for Specialist Palliative
Care Settings, (Department of Health & Children, 2002) but many
of the recommendations contained in the report are valid without that
context, and stand on their own merits.
Particular attention is drawn to Chapter 5, Benchmarks for Best Practice,
which advances the quality agenda in all palliative care settings.
The Report is available on the Hospital's website, http://www.stpatricksmarymount.ie/,
and can be downloaded freely in the section Publications.
Kevin
O'Dwyer
Chief Executive Officer
Kevin.O'Dwyer@health.gov.ie.
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