Coordinating end of life care for individuals with a mental illness--A nurse practitioner collaboration.

People with a severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) who develop a life limiting illness are one of the most vulnerable and marginalised groups of people in society today (Woods, Willison, Kington, & Gavin, 2008). In addition to the effects of mental illness, individuals who also have comorbid life limiting illness frequently suffer the compounding issues of social isolation, declining physical abilities and physical pain. The Integrated Mental Health and Palliative Care Task (IMhPaCT) was an eighteen-month project funded through an Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing Grant. The project included a range of service improvement initiatives to enhance the quality of care for individuals with SPMI who also had a life limiting illness. This paper will report on the collaboration between two nurse practitioners, from the specialities of Mental Health and Palliative Care and their impact on optimising end of life care for this client group. Both specialities are underpinned by similar values including addressing the needs of the whole person and the importance of developing a therapeutic relationship (McGrath & Holewa, 2004). This paper will demonstrate how similarities in philosophy, as well as differences in focus of care, enhanced joint clinical practice at an advanced and extended level.