International Palliative Care and Hospice Care Day 2023

The GHA observed world Hospice and Palliative Care Day recently and celebrated and supported members of the GHA Specialist Palliative Care Team including Dr Bronwen James, specialist nurses and nurse practitioners: Jamesina Santos, Tara Montegriffo-Coumbe, Nicole Pizarro and Selena Victory.

Palliative care is a holistic approach focussed on alleviating symptoms and improving quality of life for patients with life limiting illness. This care extends to their family and care givers and also includes care at the end of life.

“The year’s theme is ‘Compassionate Communities: Together for Palliative Care’, which resonates with the community in Gibraltar as we are fortunate to have a very cohesive, caring and tight knit community,” said a statement from the GHA.

Nurse Practitioner Jamie Santos is a PhD student at the University of Gibraltar. Her research explores how we care for our loved ones at home in Gibraltar at the end of their lives.

“The research is strongly influenced by the Compassionate Communities movement; a worldwide movement, which recognises that death, dying and bereavement affect us all and is everyone’s business,” said the statement.

“This work will be invaluable at informing our service as we develop the GHA service in the future, building on the many strong attributes of our wonderful community.”
Dr James said, “Our GHA Specialist Palliative Care team is committed to providing a high quality service where we focus on caring for patients and their families with serious life limiting illness.”

“Every moment matters and we are committed to delivering the best palliative care for all patients that need it in Gibraltar.”

GHA Director General, Kevin McGee said, “I strongly support the work undertaken by our Specialist Palliative Care Team, whose heart is in everything they do, recognising the Your Health Our Concern importance of early palliative care in living as well as possible for as long as possible for people with incurable disease.”

Minister for Health, Gemma Arias-Vasquez thanked the Specialist Palliative Care Team for all the work they do and the care they provide to facilitate and support individuals and their families during the difficult stages in their lives.