From diagnosis to death: exploring the interface between neurology, rehabilitation and palliative care in managing people with long-term neurological conditions.

This article reports a parallel survey of consultants working in the fields of neurology, rehabilitation and palliative medicine, and explores the interface between the three specialties in providing services for people with long-term neurological conditions. There was general agreement with respect to the core contributions offered by each specialty. However, there were also important areas of overlap which highlight the need for collaborative working practice, and for clinicians to respect the expertise of others in related areas.

Survey of specialist palliative care and heart failure: September 2004.

Aims: To describe English specialist palliative care (SPC) services' provision for, and attitude to, heart failure patients, and to identify developments of particular interest or expertise in this area.

Method: Postal survey of all lead consultants of English SPC services, September 2004.

Results: Of 397 services, 233 replied (response rate 59%); 222 (95%) thought SPC had a role in severe/end stage heart failure, while three (1%) did not.