A partnership between Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (HIOWH), Rowans Hospice and Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, has helped almost 100 people avoid unnecessary hospital admissions at the end of life through its new Emergency End of Life Response Team (EELRT) service— providing rapid, compassionate care when people need it most.
Recent media coverage has highlighted the growing pressure on emergency services this winter and the increasing number of people dying in hospital. For many people who are seriously unwell, and for their families, calling an ambulance can feel like the only option — often because they don’t know where else to turn for urgent help. Rowans Hospice is working in partnership with local hospitals and community teams to change this.
Launched in September 2025, the EELRT service provides urgent specialist palliative care to people in the last two weeks of life. Since its launch, the service has supported nearly 100 people to remain at home, return home from hospital, or transfer to Rowans Hospice for their final days — helping them avoid distressing and unnecessary hospital admissions. As part of this service, Rowans Hospice has also funded a Specialty Doctor to work with Queen Alexandra Hospital’s Emergency Department and Hospital Palliative Care Team as in-reach to those requiring care at end of life.
The service offers everything needed to help people feel safe and supported at the end of life, including:
• Expert symptom management
• Immediate advice and honest conversations about what is happening
• Rapid assessment in hospital settings
• Hands-on care from Rowans Hospice’s dedicated 24/7 Hospice at Home team.
Here is an example of how the service has made a profound difference for a local family.
Sandra’s story
Sandra (not her real name) was an 86-year-old woman living alone with Alzheimer’s dementia and frailty. One morning, her carers found her unresponsive and called an ambulance. The attending paramedic believed Sandra was dying. Her family shared that it had always been her wish to remain at home. The paramedic contacted the Emergency End of Life Response Team via the Palliative Care Support Hub at Rowans Hospice.
Within 20 minutes, the Rowans Hospice at Home team arrived to assess and manage Sandra’s symptoms and to provide emotional support to her family. The team returned twice more over the following hours, responding immediately to calls for help.
Thanks to the paramedic’s assessment and the rapid response of the EELRT, Sandra died peacefully at home that night, surrounded by her family — rather than in hospital.
Dr Katie Jerram, Specialist Doctor in Palliative Medicine at HIOWH and Medical Director at Rowans Hospice, said: “It has been a real privilege to see how many people have been supported in their final two weeks of life since this service began. We are extremely grateful for the support of NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board in establishing the service, and to Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust for working in partnership with us.”
This collaborative approach to care has the potential to significantly reduce pressure on emergency services and ensure more people can die in their place of choice. As the Emergency End of Life Response Team continues to grow, Rowans Hospice hopes to support many more people like Sandra to experience a peaceful and dignified death at home or in the hospice.