Palliative care / End-of-life care

Palliative care is the care offered to a person whose disease is no longer curable. It is not offered with the intent to speed up or delay death. Its purpose is to provide comfort to the patient and family by addressing physical, emotional, social, spiritual and information needs. The Northern Health Palliative Care Program offers support to the health care team to give patients the best possible quality of life until death.

Spring 2025 - Management of Dyspnea in Palliative Care (PDF)

Hot Tip

Jul 2025 - Symptom framework for personal support workers (PDF)

The following forms are mandatory to complete registration. Fill out and forward to the appropriate fax numbers on the forms (HIBC and local home nursing office, including our team at 250-565-5596).

EI compassionate benefits form
Expected death in the home form (PDF)
Home nursing referral form (PDF)
Home oxygen program application (PDF)
Medical Order for Scope of Treatment (MOST) form (PDF)
NH palliative care consult request form (PDF)
No CPR form (PDF)
NH Adult Palliative Care Order Sets
NH Adult Palliative Care Crisis Event Order Sets

If you require copies of the Order Sets contact Palliative.Care.Consult.Team@northernhealth.ca

If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to be added to our monthly distribution list, please contact our team at Palliative.Care.Consult.Team@northernhealth.ca

About Northern Health Palliative Care

Assessment tools

Bowel care record (PDF)
Confusion assessment scale (PDF)
ESAS-r graph (PDF)
ESAS-r numerical scale (PDF)
Pain assessment (PDF)
Symptom assessment acronym (PDF)
PAINAD log - Pain assessment in advanced dementia (PDF)
PAINAD - Pain assessment in advanced dementia scale (PDF)
RASS (Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale) (PDF)
SPICT tool (PDF)

Designated Palliative Care beds

Education: Hot Tips

Education: Newsletters

Education: Webinar videos

Resources: Brochures for health care providers

Resources: Brochures for patients and families

Resources: Northern Health

BC Inter-professional Palliative Symptom Management Guidelines (as of Jun, 2019)
HYDROmorphone and Morphine are not the same drug! Poster (PDF)
Grief resources (PDF)
Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD)
MOST Announcement (PDF)
MOST DST (PDF) (To view Northern Health resources, you must log in using your NH username and password)
NHPC Program Manual (PDF)
NH Palliative Care Symptom Guidelines 4th Edition (Oct, 2019) (PDF)
NH Palliative Care Opioid Equianalgesia Chart (PDF)
NH Palliative Care Bowel Protocol (PDF)
NH Pre-Printed Orders Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)

Resources: Other

Symptom management kits

Locations providing services

Community	Community pharmacy
Dawson Creek	Shoppers Drug Mart #22 11000 8th St Phone: 250-782-5903 Fax: 250-782-5593
Fort St. James	Pharmasave Stuart Lake Pharmacy 14-470 Stuart Dr West Phone: 250-996-7815 Fax: 250-996-7659
Fort St. John	Fort St. John Pharmacy and Wellness Centre 9730 101 Ave Phone: 250-785-3234 Fax: 250-785-3242
Fraser Lake	Fraser Lake Medicine Centre Pharmacy 210 Chowsunket St Phone: 250-699-0075 Fax: 250-699-0070
Hazelton	Three Rivers Pharmacy 2510 Highway 62 Phone: 250-842-6040 Fax: 250-842-0154
Houston	Pharmasave 3429 10th St Phone: 250-845-3700 Fax: 250-845-3750
Prince George	Hart Drug Mart 6707 Dagg Rd Phone: 250-962-9603 Fax: 250-962-8450 Third Ave Pharmacy 1467 3rd Ave Phone: 250-564-7147
Prince Rupert	Shoppers Drug Mart #249 500 2nd Ave West Phone: 250-624-9656 Fax: 250-624-9834
Quesnel	Shoppers Drug Mart 255 St. Laurent Ave Phone: 250-992-2214 Fax: 250-992-8870
Smithers	Pharmasave 3752 4th Ave Phone: 250-847-4474 Fax: 250-847-4760
Terrace	Save On Foods 4731 Lakelse Ave Phone: 250-635-4021 Fax: 250-635-3639
Tumbler Ridge	Tumbler Ridge Pharmacy 110-230 Main St Phone: 250-242-3333 Fax: 250-242-3343

Quick links

Educational video

Feb 2021 - Adult Palliative Care Inpatient Order Sets