Palliative Care at Home in Worthing

Palliative care at home means that a person with a serious, life-limiting illness can receive skilled symptom management and personal support in their own home rather than in a hospital or hospice ward. For families in Worthing, this is often the most important thing they can arrange — and one of the most difficult. If your relative has been told that curative treatment is no longer the aim, or that their condition is likely to shorten their life, palliative care at home can make it possible for them to stay where they are most comfortable, surrounded by familiar things and people they know.

Palliative care at this level is not simply help with washing and dressing. It involves managing pain and other symptoms, coordinating with clinical teams — including district nurses, GPs, and the specialist palliative care teams linked to Worthing Hospital — and ensuring that crises are handled without unnecessary hospital admissions. Carers working in this specialism need to understand medication management, recognise deterioration, communicate clearly with families under pressure, and respond calmly when situations become distressing.

Around 47 CQC-registered home care agencies operate in this part of West Sussex. Not all of them carry specialist palliative care expertise. This page sets out what the local care pathway looks like, what good care should involve, how it is funded, and what to ask before you choose an agency. The decisions feel enormous, but working through them one at a time is the practical way forward.

Worthing Hospital, part of University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, is the main acute hospital serving this area. When a patient with a life-limiting illness is admitted there, the discharge team will consider which pathway is most appropriate once the acute phase has been managed.

Under the NHS discharge to assess (D2A) framework ^[8], the aim is to move people out of hospital quickly and complete their assessment of need at home or in a community setting. For palliative patients, this is particularly important because time at home often matters more than anywhere else.

Hospital discharge teams at Worthing use a structured pathway system. Pathway 1 covers supported discharge home with health and social care input — this is the most common route for palliative patients who can be safely managed in the community. Pathway 2 involves discharge to a bed-based setting for further assessment or rehabilitation. Pathway 3 covers patients who need ongoing inpatient care. Palliative patients who wish to die at home will usually be supported under Pathway 1, with a package of care arranged to support that.

Once home, most palliative patients will have input from the West Sussex community district nursing service, the GP practice, and potentially a specialist palliative care team. Home care agencies working in this area operate alongside these NHS professionals rather than replacing them. Good coordination between the agency, the district nurses, and the GP is essential — and it is worth asking any prospective agency how they manage that communication in practice.

If your relative has complex palliative needs, a formal NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) assessment may determine that NHS England funds the full package of care ^[2][3]. This assessment looks at the nature, intensity, and complexity of need rather than diagnosis alone.

Choosing a palliative care agency in Worthing requires more than checking availability and price. Here is what to look for and verify.

Clinical competence in palliative care Ask specifically whether the agency has carers with palliative or end-of-life care training — and what that training involves. Agencies should be able to describe their approach to symptom monitoring, medication prompting or administration, and what they do when a person's condition deteriorates outside office hours.

24-hour and out-of-hours cover Palliative needs do not follow a 9-to-5 schedule. Confirm that the agency can provide overnight care and has a responsive on-call system if something changes at 3am.

Coordination with the wider clinical team A good agency will actively communicate with district nurses, GPs, and hospice teams. Ask how they share information and whether they use a care plan that clinical staff can also access.

Consistency of carers Frequent carer changes are disruptive and distressing for someone at end of life. Ask how the agency manages rota consistency and what happens during staff sickness or holidays.

Advance care planning Ask whether the agency is familiar with DNACPR forms, ReSPECT plans, and how they respond if a medical emergency occurs.

CQC registration Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 ^[6], it is a criminal offence to provide regulated personal care in England without being registered with the Care Quality Commission ^[4]. Every agency listed on CareAH is CQC-registered. An unregistered agency is operating illegally — do not use one. You can verify any agency's registration and latest inspection rating on the CQC website.

Funding for palliative care at home can come from several sources, and in many cases a combination applies.

NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) If your relative's palliative needs are the primary driver of their care, they may qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare, which funds the full cost of care ^[2][3]. The CHC checklist can be completed quickly in urgent cases, including around hospital discharge. For free independent advice on the CHC process, Beacon runs a helpline ^[10].

Local authority funding West Sussex County Council has a duty under the Care Act 2014 ^[5] to assess anyone who appears to need care and support. For a needs assessment, search 'West Sussex County Council adult social care' for current contact details and opening hours. If your relative's savings and assets are below £23,250, the council may contribute to costs; below £14,250, they are unlikely to be asked to contribute from capital at all ^[1].

Direct Payments If your relative is assessed as eligible for council funding, they may be able to receive a Direct Payment and use it to commission care themselves, giving more control over which agency is chosen ^[9].

Self-funding If assets exceed £23,250, your relative will likely be expected to fund their own care. Many families in this situation use CareAH to compare domiciliary care agencies in Worthing before committing to a provider.