Behind the scenes with Scotland's busiest palliative care team
Staff at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow treat about 2400 patients a year.
The palliative care team at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow is the busiest in Scotland.
Staff there treat about 2400 patients every year, many of whom will die on the ward.
STV News has gone behind the scenes with the team to find out more about its work.
Medics aim to improve the lives of people diagnosed with terminal illnesses like cancer.
Cystic fibrosis sufferer Stacey Gorman was admitted after suffering from panic attacks and hallucinations.
She says it is misguided to be afraid of palliative care.
'It's not just end of life, it's to make sure that you're not in pain, you're not scared.'Stacey Gorman
"It's not just end of life, it's to make sure that you're not in pain, you're not sore, you're not anxious, you're not scared or anything like that," she said.
"It's not just dying, it's making sure you're OK."
The most common condition the team deals with is cancer but a wide variety of illnesses are treated.
About half of Scotland's population will die in hospital and almost a third of patients are in the final year of their lives.
Bill Gilchrist worked in the NHS for 40 years before retiring and is now being treated for prostate cancer.
"They knew that I was not in the best of health and they gave me it straight - but in a kind way - and that was worth its weight in gold," he said.
"The approach and that talk and the way that people put it forward has a great deal to do with the general well being of your patients."
A study carried out earlier this year by Glasgow University placed Scotland among the top ten countries in Europe for palliative care.
Public health minister Aileen Campbell described the research as "a tribute to the compassion, commitment and dedication" of NHS staff.
Consultant surgeon Dr Alistair McKeown said treatment with the palliative care team can last years.
"We look after people - some people for very short periods of time, days or hours - but equally I see some people for months or even years depending on their diagnosis," he said.
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