SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE 8 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister of Health for the Government of the Canary Islands, Esther Monzón, provided an update today, Tuesday during the Plenary Session of Parliament, on the rollout of the Palliative Care at Home initiative within the Health Area of Tenerife, which in its first week has assisted a total of eleven adult patients.
Esther Monzón indicated that the pilot phase of the project commenced on 1 October in the Basic Health Zones of Guía de Isora and Santiago del Teide, which together have an adult population of 28,500 individuals. The initiative has started in these two municipalities in the southern region and will be gradually extended across the island based on the progression and outcomes of the project.
This resource comprises a doctor and a nurse trained in Palliative Care who will attend to patients in their homes, following referrals from the Palliative Unit at La Candelaria Hospital.
Additionally, the team in each ZBS will include two more medical professionals and two nurses who will serve as points of contact for Palliative Care, bridging the gap between the Family Care Units and the Primary Palliative Care team, enabling them to identify any needs or challenges during patient support. They will also receive assistance from professionals within the Palliative Care Unit at La Candelaria Hospital.
The minister emphasised the significance of this healthcare initiative co-ordinated between primary and hospital care to enhance the quality of life for patients who have exhausted all other treatment options.
Furthermore, she specified that this action is part of the measures undertaken by the Canarian Health Service to expand the availability of palliative care resources in this area, encompassing both hospital and home care, thereby addressing the demographic and socio-economic changes that have transpired in recent years across the southern region of Tenerife.
NEW HOSPITALISATION UNITS.
Among these initiatives, Esther Monzón also reported that at the Hospital del Sur, there are plans to establish a palliative care hospitalisation unit, managed by the Internal Medicine department, along with a medical consultation area and a follow-up consultation area for patient monitoring. Currently, these resources are being organised to commence training for professionals.
She also reminded that patients will have access to a telephone line, allowing them or their caregivers to contact medical teams for both hospital and home care, should the need arise. Monzón additionally announced plans to introduce a Home Hospitalisation unit in the northern part of the island.
The minister stressed that these initiatives will help relieve the care burden on the unit at La Candelaria Hospital. Consequently, as the availability of professionals permits, the provision of palliative care will be progressively expanded in the southern region and across the rest of the island.