Dr Sally Lawton, Dr Gordon Linklater, Dr Margaret Denholm & Lisa Macaulay discuss the main reasons why primary care-based nurses phone a specialist palliative care advice line.

Sally Lawton RGN, NDN (Cert), RCNT, RDNT, MA, PhD, LL.M, Senior Lecturer in Palliative Care (Nursing), NHS Grampian

Gordon Linklater MBChB, FRCP, DipMedEd, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, NHS Grampian

Margaret Denholm MBChB, MRCGP, DipPall.Med, Specialist Registrar, Palliative Medicine, NHS Grampian

Lisa Macaulay DipHE Nursing, Research and Development Nurse, Department of Palliative Medicine

Article accepted for publication: August 2008