EXCLUDED EUROPE 1 - Six measures of the French Society for support and palliative care in the face of the lack of specialized centers

Yasmina Kattou, edited by Julien Moreau 6:29 p.m., February 09, 2023

The French Society for Support and Palliative Care (SFAP) wants to simplify access to palliative care for professionals and patients.

The SFAP will publish a report, which Europe 1 was able to consult in preview and exclusively, to improve the care of people at the end of life in France.

This report must be sent to the Minister of Health, François Braun, in the coming days.

Today, there is a millefeuille of structures to accommodate patients in palliative care.

Between mobile teams, care networks and hospitals, it has become difficult for a doctor to guide his patient towards optimal care.

Two thirds of French people do not have access to palliative care and only 30% of people who need this care can actually benefit from it. 

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Coordinate all needs

Claire Fourcade, president of the SFAP wants to centralize access to end-of-life professionals.

"A general practitioner accompanies an average of three end-of-life patients each year. Each time, it will be something new. The idea is to have a team in the territory that will coordinate the all of the needs. The doctor calls a number and it is a specialized team which will take care of understanding with the patient what he needs with those who treat him, "she said at the microphone of Europe 1. 

A telephone on-call would then be available 24 hours a day, reports the president of the SFAP.

"It must be possible, in the event of an emergency, to call on a team that is able to respond 24 hours a day. The idea is to never leave first-line caregivers or patients without any solutions," she added. 

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Train nurses in palliative care in advanced practice

In the six proposals, one measure draws particular attention to relieve doctors in medical deserts: train nurses in advanced practice in palliative care.

Today, the nurses in question specialize in oncology, kidney disease and transplantation or even common pathologies and primary care, but training in palliative care does not yet exist.

"In territories where doctors are not easily available, there is a whole range of care that could be provided by these nurses. Prescribing a reassessment of treatment with morphine for example, and which will allow, in particular at home, to be able to meet the needs of patients as quickly as possible," said Claire Fourcade.

Increase the supply of palliative care at home

This would increase the supply of palliative care at home, while 70% of French people want to die at home surrounded by their loved one.

For those who cannot be kept at home, the French Society for Support and Palliative Care suggests the creation of new places that would be "cocoons" for these patients: "We would need places that are like a house, places welcoming and friendly. Like a house rather than a hospital, but which at the same time allow for a sufficient level of care and monitoring for patients. And this type of device is extremely rare in France", concluded Claire Fourcade.