NHS Islington...

Your local NHS

Life Force

Palliative care and bereavement services for children in Islington, Camden and Haringey

The Life Force service is a palliative care team who care for children with a life threatening illness. We focus on the physical, emotional, social and spiritual elements of life.

The team provides support for the family and aims to work to improve their quality of life through:

• the provision of respite care,
• the management of distressing symptoms, and
• support and care through death and bereavement.

We aim to ensure that optimal support and home care is achieved for children with life threatening illnesses in Islington, Camden and Haringey. We complement and expand on other healthcare services and offer increased flexibility and choice.

We also provide bereavement care for siblings and other family members of children who are expected to die or have died following a period of palliative care.

Who are the Life Force team?

They are a specialist paediatric team who provide additional care and support for children up to the age of 16 with life limiting or life threatening illnesses (or 19 years if the young person has special needs).

Here are a few examples from the four groups of children who can be referred to the service:

Group 1: cancer, irreversible organ failures of heart, liver or kidney

Group 2: cystic fibrosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, HIV/AIDS

Group 3: Batten disease, mucopolysaccharidosis, CJD

Group 4: severe multiple disabilities following brain or spinal cord injuries, severe cerebral palsy

How are children referred to the Life Force team?

Referrals are accepted from both health professionals and the child's family.

Downloads

Life Force leaflet

Web links