Rehabilitation and specialist palliative care

Enabling individuals to achieve their maximum potential and quality of life following a diagnosis of advanced cancer, has long been a stated aim of palliative care. Increased life expectancy and the introduction of specialist palliative care to patients at an earlier stage of their illness presents professionals in the specialty with new challenges in meeting the need for rehabilitative care. This article examines some of the recent developments affecting the provision of rehabilitative care and describes one specialist palliative care unit's response to the challenge, highlighting the role of a nurse-led clinic within the service framework.