Pal­lia­tive care and hos­pice care ser­vices in the Wellbeing Services County of South Ostrobothnia

At the palliative care center of Seinäjoki Central Hospital, a palliative outpatient clinic operates on weekdays. Patients are referred to the clinic by their attending physician. The clinic is staffed by a physician–nurse pair. Patients attend appointments at the clinic, or a remote consultation is arranged when necessary. The tasks of the clinic include, among other things, symptom‑relieving medical treatments and procedures, psychosocial support, and the creation of care plans.

The consultation team consists of a nurse–physician pair and serves all patients suffering from advanced disease or those who are dying, as well as their families. Consultation visits are made to inpatient wards and outpatient clinics across all specialties. Telephone consultations are available throughout the South Ostrobothnia wellbeing services county.

Within the central hospital, the nurses of the palliative care center carry out outreach work on the inpatient wards and outpatient clinics of various specialties. The purpose of the outreach work is to be present and to provide low‑threshold nurse‑to‑nurse consultation for the care of seriously ill patients.

The palliative care center works in close collaboration with psychosocial support specialists, and the referral team utilizes a multidisciplinary approach. The psychosocial support unit involves, among others, a social worker, hospital chaplaincy, psychological first aid (HEA), a psychiatric nurse, and local volunteers, including those from the cancer society. Through the cancer society, it is possible to provide patients or their family members with support from a psychiatric nurse and, when needed, to make use of end‑of‑life care support volunteers.

The regional home hospital in the wellbeing services county of South Ostrobothnia covers almost the entire area. With the support of the home hospital, palliative care and end‑of‑life care can be provided at home. The home hospital also supports end‑of‑life care within residential care units. Patients are admitted to the home hospital with a physician’s referral, and the care provided is hospital‑level treatment delivered at home. Long‑term care and support are provided by home care services. Patients receiving palliative care through the home hospital can also be admitted to an inpatient ward (a so‑called support ward) when necessary. Currently, the home hospital operates every day of the week with morning and evening shifts. When the home hospital is closed, calls from patients receiving palliative or end‑of‑life care are forwarded to the area’s own support ward.

In the wellbeing services county of South Ostrobothnia, palliative care and end‑of‑life care are provided at the palliative care center and on nearby wards in local health centers. Patients receiving care at home have the option of being admitted to a support ward if the situation requires it. Ward placement is arranged primarily based on care needs, and as a rule, every effort is made to place the patient as close as possible to their home and family. In South Ostrobothnia, nine different wards function as support wards, each staffed by nurses with special competence in palliative and end‑of‑life care. The palliative care center provides consultation support to all inpatient wards.

For patients living in residential care units, the goal is to arrange end‑of‑life care within their own unit, with support from the home hospital when needed.

The palliative care center’s inpatient beds are located at the Seinäjoki Central Hospital campus, in connection with the basic‑level beds dedicated to palliative and end‑of‑life care patients on the A4 ward at the Seinäjoki Social and Health Care Center. Together, these form a palliative and end‑of‑life care unit with approximately 12 beds.