Palliative care team Frankfurt 2011
A sustainable basis for the care of palliative patients in Frankfurt
Many terminally ill patients wish to be able to die peacefully and without great suffering and pain at home. This is made possible by palliative medical care, but this is by no means a matter of course. This is because it is not yet the norm for statutory health insurance companies to cover the costs and it is almost impossible to generate revenue in this area. The FFBT therefore decided to provide particularly intensive support for palliative care and thus actively contribute to making the last journey of the seriously ill much easier.
In 2011, Palliativteam Frankfurt gGmbH (a non-profit organization), which was founded in 2010, received its first financial contribution from the FFBT. As the managing director and head physician of the palliative care team, Dr. Ingmar Hornke, told us, this sum made a significant contribution to putting outpatient palliative care in Frankfurt and the surrounding area on a solid structural footing.
An additional position was created for a palliative care nurse. This increased staffing levels to ten employees working in the medical and nursing service. In addition, the procurement of an urgently needed mobile ultrasound device and a further emergency kit equipped to meet medical needs was made possible.
Our dedication played a key role in ensuring that more than 400 patients in Frankfurt and the surrounding area were successfully cared for at home until the end of their lives in 2011. Unwanted hospital admissions or ambulance call-outs were reliably prevented.
The foundation stone for a children's palliative care team was also laid in 2011, with the first core team starting work in February 2012.