The Tenerife Primary Care Management has successfully launched its Home Palliative Care programme, offering assistance to cancer patients in palliative situations across all health areas on the island.
The initiative, designed to meet a longstanding demand, began in October 2024 in the health zones of Santiago del Teide and Guía de Isora. Since its inception, the service has gradually expanded, recently including the last remaining health areas in the metropolitan region.
Nearly 500 patients have received home care to meet their health needs since the programme started. Care has been provided directly by the team and, when necessary, in coordination with health centres, out-of-hospital emergency services, and hospital services to ensure continuity of care among different health levels.
Expanding this service across the island required significant organisational effort from Primary Care, including the training of professionals and the provision of vehicles, IT equipment, communication devices, and specific clinical materials.
The home palliative care team consists of 17 professionals, including eight doctors, eight nurses, and one social worker. A dedicated phone line allows patients and their families to ask questions about their clinical situation or symptoms.
These professionals work closely with the palliative care teams at the Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria and the Hospital Universitario de Canarias to ensure seamless healthcare provision during different stages of illness. This collaboration focuses on providing comprehensive, continuous, and personalised care that prioritises the patient’s quality of life and that of their family.
Care is delivered in the patient’s home, as long as their clinical condition allows it, helping to avoid unnecessary trips and enabling them to stay in their usual environment. The team assists with symptom management, clinical decision-making, and emotional support for both patients and families.
The extension of the project to all of Tenerife strengthens the integrated model of home palliative care within Primary Care, aiming to improve accessibility, ensure equitable care, and enhance end-of-life support. The management will continue to develop this model to progressively accommodate other patients with advanced chronic illnesses and palliative needs.
In parallel, palliative care on the island has been bolstered with the launch of a service at the Hospital Universitario de Canarias in July 2025, which until then had been centralised at the Hospital de Ofra. This new service provides a specific care route for adults requiring palliative support. Additionally, the Canary Health Service has opened a palliative care unit at the South Hospital, attached to La Candelaria, to reduce the need for transfers to the main hospital for patients requiring such care.
