Following its implementation in the southern region of Tenerife, the Home Palliative Care project of the Health Area of Tenerife will become a reality in North Tenerife with the launch of this service for patients and their families in the municipalities of Icod, Garachico, and El Tanque. Additionally, the University Hospital of Tenerife has had a Palliative Care service since January, which has handled 174 hospital admissions and over 360 consultations, complementing the Hospital de Ofra and the Southern Hospital, both under the management of La Candelaria.
Thus, continuity is given to the home palliative care project that began in October in Santiago del Teide and Guía de Isora, which will extend to Candelaria. Meanwhile, in the northern part of the island, which has the oldest population, a pilot scheme will start in the Basic Health Zone of Icod, including users from the Icod base centre and those registered at the clinics in Garachico, La Montañeta, San Juan del Reparo, El Tanque, and San José de los Llanos, providing assistance to a population of around 32,200 residents.
Specifically, the manager of Primary Care in Tenerife, Jesús Delgado, explained that this area was chosen in coordination with professionals from the Palliative Care service at the HUC, as it is one of the most remote zones for hospital care. He emphasised the importance of providing “a humane, close, and significant service to the sick, but also to their families, in their environment where they feel more comfortable, safe, and loved”.
The Primary Care manager highlighted that the intention is for this service to expand to all basic health areas, aiming to “be able to respond to the entire metropolitan area, thus ensuring home palliative care services for all of Tenerife’s population by 2026 in coordination with hospitals”.
The objective is to provide care at home “for patients with serious or terminal conditions, as well as their caregivers”, leveraging the synergy of Primary Care professionals with their users, who due to their proximity and knowledge are considered “an ideal ally” for providing palliative care at home, supported by a team of a specialised doctor and nurse.
Alexander Robaina, the coordinating doctor of the Home Care project, which has already attended to over a hundred users at their homes, stated that “the patient is the protagonist, but we always focus on the caregiver because we believe that the service makes no sense without someone responsible for supporting this patient at home throughout the process”.
The home palliative care team consists of eight professionals, four of whom are doctors and four are nurses. Furthermore, in addition to this home resource, there is a phone line that allows patients and/or their families to make inquiries regarding the user’s clinical situation, symptoms, treatment, etc. “Thanks to us going in pairs to the homes (doctor and nurse), we can attend to both the patient and the caregiver and provide support, because without it, there is no way we can keep that person at home”.
Care at HUC
It was also reported that the Palliative Care service at the University Hospital of Tenerife (HUC) commenced in January, as this resource was previously lacking, with the service centralised at the Hospital de Ofra, which is managed by La Candelaria and without the capacity for home care.
Esther Monzón recalled that until last year, Tenerife had only one unit for the entire island; therefore, “one of the primary goals was to decentralise and establish two new units at the HUC and the Southern Hospital, which are already operational”. Additionally, home palliative care has been implemented, “an example of coordination between Primary Care and the two hospitals, which has strengthened these services and created home care units across the island”.
The HUC manager, Adasat Goya, highlighted that “we found a hospital that had somewhat neglected patients at the end of their lives”, and with that purpose, the new Palliative Care service was developed, alongside a new Geriatrics service, to provide patients and their families with “closeness, comfort, and quality care during such a delicate time”.
Currently, the Palliative Care service is located on the second floor, has 16 beds, and establishes a specific care pathway. It will soon move to the D-building, the most modern and updated part of the HUC, “with a better location to offer a more pleasant and comfortable environment for patients and their companions,” Goya revealed.
The coordinator of the palliative care unit, Andrés Ila, stated that “we want patients to live better, with a more humane and compassionate approach, avoiding therapeutic obstinacy, providing proper information, and trying to respect their autonomy”. To this end, comprehensive and personalised care is provided to both oncological patients and those with severe, advanced, or terminal illnesses, along with psychological and social support for families and caregivers.
The service team consists of six professionals, including multidisciplinary doctors and nurses from Palliative Care, Medical Oncology, and Family and Community Medicine, as well as the involvement of other units. This service has attended to 174 hospital admissions and over 360 consultations. Additionally, the HUC has a paediatric palliative care service.
Monzón emphasised that the criteria for referring patients from the HUC palliative care unit to home care “is absolutely medical”. Meanwhile, Goya reiterated that “it will allow us to reach more patients and have more beds”, and that treatments rendered at home “are more effective and minimise risks such as acquiring nosocomial infections”.
