Palliative and supportive care is a medical specialty for people living with a serious illness. It is focused on providing patients and their caregivers with relief from the symptoms and stresses associated with a serious illness to improve quality of life.
Palliative and supportive care is provided by an inter-professional team who work with a patient’s other healthcare providers, including their family doctor, to provide an extra layer of support. This care is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and can be provided as part of your personal treatment plan. The Freeman Centre for the Advancement of Palliative Care offers comprehensive consultation and follow-up care for patients with a life-limiting illness.
The Palliative and Supportive Care Service consists of two services to meet the needs of patients and their loved ones who are living with advanced serious illness.
Our interdisciplinary team of palliative and supportive care physicians, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, registered nurses, social workers, spiritual care provider and volunteers among others can help you with:
Management of pain and symptoms to improve quality of life
Psychosocial and spiritual care support
An individualized treatment plan that is aligned with patient and family goals
Assistance with difficult conversations
Support to prepare for end of life, loss, grief and bereavement
These services are provided in hospital, clinic and in-home settings.
If you have questions about our services, you can contact us using the following information:
The Freeman Centre for the Advancement of Palliative Care
For patients living with a cancer-related life-limiting illness
For information about our inpatient, ambulatory and outreach programs, please call 416-756-6444 ext 4138
Fax: 416-756-6024
Supportive Care
For patients living with a non-cancer-related life-limiting illness
For information about our programs, please see the contact instructions below:
Inpatient:
Please call 416-756-6444 ext 4138
Fax: 416-756-6024
Supportive Care Clinic:
Please call 416-756-6000 ext 4242
Fax: 416-756-6702
The Edwin S.H. Leong Geriatric Supportive Care Outreach Program:
Please call at 416-756-6232
Fax: 416-756-6024
We are accessible by telephone from 9-5pm Monday to Friday.
If you are not able to call us during business hours, please contact us for information on all above services at palliative.info@nygh.on.caPlease note that you will receive a response during business hours, up to 3 business days after your original email.
If the matter is urgent, please contact your family physician, or in case of an emergency, please dial 9-1-1.
Inpatient consult
To access a palliative and supportive care inpatient consult, the Most Responsible Physician (MRP) orders a consult through Cerner. If urgent, the MRP should page the palliative doctor on call through locating at ext 6002.
Palliative Care Clinic (formerly Pain & Symptom Management Clinic)
For patients with cancer-related advanced illness. To access a Palliative Care Clinic consult, fax the Palliative Care Clinic Referral Form to 416-756-6833.
Supportive Care Clinic
For patients with non-cancer-related advanced illness. To access a Supportive Care Clinic consult, fax this Supportive Care Clinic Referral Form to 416-756-6702.
OutreachPrograms (Freeman Outreach & The Edwin S.H. Leong Geriatric Supportive Care Outreach Program)
For an outreach or “home-based” palliative and supportive care consult, fax this Palliative Care Common Referral Form to: 416-756-6024. The Freeman Centre offers in-home palliative care for adults living with advanced cancer, and the Edwin S.H. Leong Geriatric Supportive Care Outreach Program offers home visits for adults living with advanced non-cancer illness.
Our outreach programs operate within the catchment areas: south of Steeles Ave., north of Lawrence Ave., west of Victoria Park Ave., and east of Bathurst Street. (Blue lines indicate catchment area)
Program catchment area
The Palliative & Supportive Care Service offers:
Palliative and supportive care core rotations for Family Practice residents
Clinical Palliative Care PGY3 Enhanced Skills for Family Medicine residents
Palliative Care Elective for medical students or residents
An Advanced Practice Nursing Clinical Fellowship in Palliative Care for nurses with post-Master education
Interprofessional observership and preceptorships for nursing students, graduate social work students and international health care workers
Interprofessional continuing education workshops, lectures, rounds, and forums.
