Palliative care is the care offered to a person whose disease is no longer curable. It is not offered with the intent to speed up or delay death. Its purpose is to provide comfort to the patient and family by addressing physical, emotional, social, spiritual and information needs. The Northern Health Palliative Care Program offers support to the health care team to give patients the best possible quality of life until death.
Newsletter
Hot Tip
Register your patient here
The following forms are mandatory to complete registration. Fill out and forward to the appropriate fax numbers on the forms (HIBC and local home nursing office, including our team at 250-565-5596).
Optional forms
- EI compassionate benefits form
- Expected death in the home form (PDF)
- Home nursing referral form (PDF)
- Home oxygen program application (PDF)
- Medical Order for Scope of Treatment (MOST) form (PDF)
- NH palliative care consult request form (PDF)
- No CPR form (PDF)
- NH Adult Palliative Care Order Sets
- NH Adult Palliative Care Crisis Event Order Sets
If you require copies of the Order Sets contact Palliative.Care.Consult.Team@northernhealth.ca
Contact us
If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to be added to our monthly distribution list, please contact our team at Palliative.Care.Consult.Team@northernhealth.ca
About Northern Health Palliative Care
Assessment tools
- Bowel care record (PDF)
- Confusion assessment scale (PDF)
- ESAS-r graph (PDF)
- ESAS-r numerical scale (PDF)
- Pain assessment (PDF)
- Symptom assessment acronym (PDF)
- PAINAD log - Pain assessment in advanced dementia (PDF)
- PAINAD - Pain assessment in advanced dementia scale (PDF)
- RASS (Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale) (PDF)
- SPICT tool (PDF)
Designated Palliative Care beds
Education: Hot Tips
- Aug 2024 - Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) resources (PDF)
- Jul 2024 - A palliative approach to care (PDF)
- Apr 2024 - Advance care planning updates (PDF)
- Mar 2024 - Seizures at the end of life (PDF)
- Feb 2024 - Plan P coverage for new BC residents (PDF)
- Jan 2024 - Respiratory congestion at end-of-life (PDF)
- Dec 2023 - A holiday greeting from the palliative care consultation team (PDF)
- Nov 2023 - Symptom framework for personal support workers (PDF)
- Oct 2023 - Constipation tips and tools (PDF)
- Sept 2023 - Opioid titration (PDF)
- Aug 2023 - Upcoming education sessions: Fall 2023 (PDF)
- Jul 2023 - Hypercalcemia of malignancy (PDF)
- Jun 2023 - Have you done your advance care plan? (PDF)
- May 2023 - Non pharmacological interventions for a severe bleed (PDF)
- Apr 2023 - Northern Health palliative care (PDF)
- Mar 2023 - A symptom management kit resources guide (PDF)
- Jan 2023 - What is "Steady State" and why is it important? (PDF)
- Dec 2022 - Palliative care myths (PDF)
- Nov 2022 - A palliative approach to care (PDF)
- Sep 2022 - Hospice societies of the North (PDF)
- Aug 2022 - Palliative sedation (PDF)
- Jul 2022 - Role of Personal Support Workers (PSW's) in integrating a palliative approach (PDF)
- Jun 2022 - Adult palliative care orders: Community (PDF)
- May 2022 - Fentanyl transdermal patch in palliative care (PDF)
- Apr 2022 - Managing a pain crisis (PDF)
- Mar 2022 - PAINAD - Pain assessment in advanced dementia scale tool (PDF)
- Feb 2022 - Managing delirium in patients with advanced illness (PDF)
- Jan 2022 - Bowel care orders and protocols (PDF)
- Dec 2021 - Palliative care resources (PDF)
- Oct 2021 - Nutrition Through Advanced Illness (PDF)
- Sep 2021 – Symptom Management Kits (PDF)
- Aug 2021 - Meet the Palliative Care Consultation Team (PDF)
- Jul 2021 - Increasing Physical Comfort (PDF)
- Jun 2021 - Palliative Management of Bowel Obstruction (PDF)
- May 2021 - BC Palliative Care Benefits (PDF)
- Mar 2021 - Serious Illness Conversation Guide (PDF)
- Feb 2021 – Adult Palliative Care Inpatient Order Sets (PDF)
- Jun 2020 - Mouth Discomfort, Tips for PSW's (PDF)
- May 2020 - Palliative Care COVID-19 Resources (PDF)
- Apr 2020 - Advance Care Planning (PDF)
- Jan 2020 – Fentanyl Transdermal Patch (PDF)
- Nov 2019 - Fatigue, Tips for PSW's (PDF)
- Oct 2019 - Difficult Conversations in Advanced Disease (PDF)
- Sep 2019 - Providing Psychosocial Care (PDF)
- Jun 2019 - Delirium, Tips for PSW's (PDF)
- May 2019 - Essential Conversations in Palliative and End-of-Life Care (PDF)
- Mar 2019 - Tips on Managing Dyspnea (PDF)
- Sep 2018 - Approach to End-of-Life Care (PDF)
- Aug 2018 - Nausea Management (PDF)
- Jun 2018 - Fentanyl Patch Use in Palliative Patients (PDF)
Education: Newsletters
- Spring 2024 - Medication Deprescribing in Palliative Care (PDF)
- Fall 2022 - Palliative Sedation (PDF)
- Spring 2022 - Superior Vena Cava Syndrome (PDF)
- Fall 2021 - Concept of Hope in Palliative Care (PDF)
- Spring 2021 - Compassion Fatigue (PDF)
- Summer 2020 - Fentanyl Transdermal Patch - A Review (PDF)
- Winter 2019 - Recognizing and Managing Opioid Induced Neurotoxicity (PDF)
- Fall 2019 – Focusing on Self-Care in Palliative Care (PDF)
- Summer 2019 - Preparing for a Death at Home, Clinician Considerations (PDF)
- Spring 2019 - Talking with Children About Serious Illness, Dying and Death (PDF)
- Winter 2018 - Difficult Conversations (PDF)
- Fall 2018 - Respiratory Congestion (PDF)
- Summer 2018 - End-of-Life Care and Serious Persistent Mental Illness (PDF)
- Spring 2018 - Parkinson's Disease (PDF)
- Winter 2017 - Severe Bleeding (PDF)
- Summer 2017 - Venting Gastrostomy (PDF)
- Spring 2017 - Food and Fluids in the End-of-Life (PDF)
Education: Webinar videos
- Feb 2021 - Adult Palliative Care Inpatient Order Sets
- Jan 2020 - Fentanyl Transdermal Patch Order Set
- Oct 2019 - Communication in Palliative Care by Dr. I. Reddy
- Jul 2019 - NH Symptom Management Kits Update
- Dec 2018 - Your Team and Your Toolkit
- Sep 2018 - Approach to End-of-Life Care
- Jun 2018 - Pain Medication Management in Palliative Care
- Dec 2017 - Neurodegenerative Disorders
- May 2017 - EOL Care in Advanced Kidney Disease
- Jan 2017 - Music Therapy and Palliative Care
- Sep 2016 - Final Days
- Apr 2016 - Malignant Wounds in Palliative Care
- Mar 2016 - Dehydration and Hypodermoclysis at EOL
Resources: Brochures for health care providers
Resources: Brochures for patients and families
Resources: Northern Health
- BC Inter-professional Palliative Symptom Management Guidelines (as of Jun, 2019)
- HYDROmorphone and Morphine are not the same drug! Poster (PDF)
- Grief resources (PDF)
- Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD)
- MOST Announcement (PDF)
- MOST DST (PDF) (To view Northern Health resources, you must log in using your NH username and password)
- NHPC Program Manual (PDF)
- NH Palliative Care Symptom Guidelines 4th Edition (Oct, 2019) (PDF)
- NH Palliative Care Opioid Equianalgesia Chart (PDF)
- NH Palliative Care Bowel Protocol (PDF)
- NH Pre-Printed Orders Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)
Resources: Other
- BC Cancer
- BC Cancer Pain and Symptom Management
- BC Hospice Palliative Care Association
- BC Palliative Care Benefits Program
- Bereavement and Grief Services
- Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association
- Canadian Virtual Hospice
- Canuck Place – Pediatric Hospice Palliative Care
- COVID-19 information
- Edmonton Regional Palliative Care Program
- EI Compassionate Benefits
- FNHA End-of-Life Brochure (PDF)
- Fraser Health Authority Palliative Care Program
- Pediatric Palliative Care Norms of Practice (PDF)
- Prince George Hospice Society
- Victoria Hospice
Symptom management kits
- Contents list (PDF)
- Evaluation form (PDF)
- Handout: Sign in-out sheet (PDF)
- Medication log (PDF)
- Pharmacy invoice (PDF)
- Tracking form (PDF)
Locations providing services
| Community | Community pharmacy |
|---|---|
| Dawson Creek | Shoppers Drug Mart #22 11000 8th St Phone: 250-782-5903 Fax: 250-782-5593 |
| Fort St. James | Pharmasave Stuart Lake Pharmacy 14-470 Stuart Dr West Phone: 250-996-7815 Fax: 250-996-7659 |
| Fort St. John | Fort St. John Pharmacy and Wellness Centre 9730 101 Ave Phone: 250-785-3234 Fax: 250-785-3242 |
| Fraser Lake | Fraser Lake Medicine Centre Pharmacy 210 Chowsunket St Phone: 250-699-0075 Fax: 250-699-0070 |
| Hazelton | Three Rivers Pharmacy 2510 Highway 62 Phone: 250-842-6040 Fax: 250-842-0154 |
| Houston | Pharmasave 3429 10th St Phone: 250-845-3700 Fax: 250-845-3750 |
| Prince George | Hart Drug Mart 6707 Dagg Rd Phone: 250-962-9603 Fax: 250-962-8450 Third Ave Pharmacy 1467 3rd Ave Phone: 250-564-7147 |
| Prince Rupert | Shoppers Drug Mart #249 500 2nd Ave West Phone: 250-624-9656 Fax: 250-624-9834 |
| Quesnel | Shoppers Drug Mart 255 St. Laurent Ave Phone: 250-992-2214 Fax: 250-992-8870 |
| Smithers | Pharmasave 3752 4th Ave Phone: 250-847-4474 Fax: 250-847-4760 |
| Terrace | Save On Foods 4731 Lakelse Ave Phone: 250-635-4021 Fax: 250-635-3639 |
| Tumbler Ridge | Tumbler Ridge Pharmacy 110-230 Main St Phone: 250-242-3333 Fax: 250-242-3343 |