Having a terminal or life-limiting illness can increase a person’s risk of taking their own life. Find out how to have compassionate conversations and offer support
When Robin Walton was a nursing student on a London hospital ward in the 1960s, a patient climbed out of the window one day and jumped to his death.
To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
the aim of this article is to help improve the support provided by community nurses to autistic individuals.
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The pathway aims to provide learning disability staff with a unified and structured approach that places the service user at the centre of care and enhances partnership working with palliative care services. The pathway prompts the development of a personalised care plan that respects the wishes of the person and their family.
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Leading learning disabilities research advocate Irene Tuffrey-Wijne uses her role to ‘shout about’ the need to involve service users in healthcare decisions that affect them
Irene Tuffrey-Wijne has made it her life’s mission to campaign on behalf of people with learning disabilities and autism when it comes to end of life care and bereavement. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Half of nursing home residents (NHR) suffer from dementia. End-of-life hospitalizations are often burdensome in residents with dementia. A systematic review was conducted to study the occurrence of hospitalizations at the end of life in NHR with dementia and to compare these figures to NHR without dementia. Open Access Article
More than 20 Swan Rooms, which provide privacy and dignity for patients at the end of life, have been created at Shropshire’s two acute hospitals.
The latest Swan Room has opened on Ward 7 (Short Stay Medical) at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford. It brings the total number of Swan Rooms at both the PRH and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) to 22.
The objective of this study was to explore nurses' perceptions of end-of-life care following the withdrawal of the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP). To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Advance care planning (ACP) is the process of discussing and documenting wishes and preferences for future care. Research about ACP for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) is limited. This study describes what is important for ACP in the palliative phase of people with intellectual disabilities.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens details. To access full-text: click “Log in/Register” (top right hand side). Click ‘Institutional Login’ then select 'OpenAthens Federation', then ‘NHS England’. Enter your Athens details to view the article.
Citing her own personal experiences, Amber Rudd has asked the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to set up an honest and in depth evaluation of how the benefits system supports people nearing the end of their life and those with severe conditions.
Death and dying can be a very difficult topic to talk about. Whether the person is in hospital or being supported to die at home, there is only one chance for the providers of care to get it right.
Healthwatch Shropshire is asking if people would be willing to share their experiences of End of Life Care in the county. For example, did they feel that the care their loved one received was what they wanted and expected? Were they treated with dignity and did they feel listened to and their wishes respected?
Nurses and certified nursing assistants (CNA) have a crucial role in 24/7 continuity of palliative care for many vulnerable patients and families, however, their perspective has been largely omitted in reported barriers to palliative care. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Early start of palliative care improves the quality of life of eligible patients and their relatives. However, in hospital, patients who could benefit from palliative care are often not identified timely. The aim of this study is to assess how hospital-based nurses and physicians define the palliative phase, how they identify the palliative phase and what difficulties they face. Open Access Article
Few studies have specifically assessed the scope, nature and challenges of palliative and end-of-life care in rural general practice. These knowledge gaps limit the development of evidence-based policies and services for patients in the last months of life. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of general practitioners (GPs) and other stakeholders on rural GPs’ involvement and challenges in providing palliative and end-of-life care in regional Australia. Open Access Article
Advance care planning (ACP) is a process in which professionals, patients and their relatives discuss wishes and options for future care. ACP in the palliative phase reduces the chance that decisions have to be taken suddenly and can therefore improve the quality of life and death. The primary aim of this study is to explore how ACP takes place in cases of people with intellectual disabilities (ID).. To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens details. To access full-text: click “Log in/Register” (top right hand side). Click ‘Institutional Login’ then select 'OpenAthens Federation', then ‘NHS England’. Enter your Athens details to view the article.
In their clinical review, Fetherston, Rowley and Allen (2018) summarised the literature on diagnosis, assessment and management of dementia, communication and ethical issues in dementia that should guide the provision of end-of-life palliative care. They also touch on topics, such as goals of care and care homes.
There is a growing number of people who need access to high-quality endof-life care in the home setting. This requires timely assessments of needs, ensuring good symptom management and recognising the roles undertaken by carers. For some patients, a range of medications may need to be put in place to relieve end-of-life symptoms, using ‘anticipatory prescribing’. District nurses must ensure that they acknowledge the patient's voiced preferences and be mindful of the safety issues that arise with the supply of controlled drugs in the home. This article highlights the challenges faced by district nurses providing or dealing with anticipatory prescribing during end-of-life care. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
To evaluate the effectiveness of a two‐session multicomponent family strengths‐ oriented therapeutic conversation intervention among family caregivers of an individual with advanced/final stage cancer during ongoing palliative home‐care.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens details. To access full-text: click “Log in/Register” (top right hand side). Click ‘Institutional Login’ then select 'OpenAthens Federation', then ‘NHS England’. Enter your Athens details to view the article.
What nurses in their thousands told our third annual Nursing Standard-Marie Curie poll on end of life care provision
Almost two thirds (65%) of nurses say staffing shortages are the main barrier to providing good care to dying patients, an exclusive survey by Nursing Standard and Marie Curie reveals. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Open access. Dying in one’s preferred place is a quality marker for end-of-life care. Little is known about preferred place of death, or the factors associated with achieving this, for people with dementia.
Nutritional problems often manifest during late-stage dementia, and some families may request to instigate artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH) therapies. In the US, an estimated one-third of nursing home patients with a severe cognitive impairment have artificial feeding tubes inserted. Fear that a relative could experience extreme hunger or thirst if they are not mechanically fed tends to be the main driver behind family's requests to implement artificial or enteral feeding methods. In contrast, artificial hydration is rarely given to older people with dementia in the UK and this practice of non-intervention tends to apply across all healthcare and hospice type environments. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Around 80% of hospital patients will have swallowing difficulties in the last 72 hours of life, so the trust that runs Shropshire’s two acute hospitals has introduced an alternative to nil by mouth which improves both patient experience, and allows loved ones to be involved in their care.
‘Taste for Pleasure’ means that when receiving end of life mouth care (cleaning and hydrating the mouth), hospital staff at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) and the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford (PRH), can use the patient’s favourite flavours to provide moisture. These flavours can be anything from blackcurrant squash to tea, all the way up to whiskey!
Conversations about end of life choices can be difficult. However, a Staffordshire GP wants us to have these conversations to make sure we are all prepared for when someone dies.
As part of Dying Matters Week (13-19 May 2019), the NHS in Staffordshire is encouraging people to plan ahead and start a conversation with family members. By planning in advance, less pressure will be placed on loved ones at the end of someone’s life.
An e-book aimed at helping people find better ways to manage bereavement has been updated and republished with the help of The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust’s End of Life Care team.
Jules Lewis, End of Life Care Facilitator, and Jules Lock, End of Life Care Lead Volunteer, have teamed up with Roy Lilley, founder of the Academy of Fabulous Stuff, to update ‘Bereavement – A Practical Guide for NHS Managers’ for a contemporary audience. The new text includes ‘101 questions about bereavement’ to challenge, make us think and develop better plans.
Open access. Increasing attention to palliative care for the general population has led to the development of various evidence-based or consensus-based tools and interventions. However, specific tools and interventions are needed for people with severe mental illness (SMI) who have a life-threatening illness. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the scientific evidence on tools and interventions in palliative care for this group.
This literature review aimed to answer the focus question: are district nurses well placed to provide equitable end of life care (EOL) for homeless individuals? It focused on 10 primary research studies, from which two themes emerged and subsequently formed the basis of the discussion... To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Person-centred palliative care poses high demands on professionals and patients regarding appropriate and effective communication and informed decision-making. This is even more so for patients with limited health literacy, as they lack the necessary skills to find, understand and apply information about their health and healthcare. Recognizing patients with limited health literacy and adapting the communication, information provision and decision-making process to their skills and needs is essential to achieve desired person-centred palliative care. Open Access Article
Allied health professionals aspire to become evidence-based practitioners but disparity exists between best practice and clinical practice. One example is outcome measurement; despite being committed to using outcome measures, allied health professionals struggle to use them. This study aimed to explore the process of introducing outcome measures into a practice setting. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details
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The purpose of this study is to understand the significance and the role of the gratitude received from P/R for palliative care health professionals (PCHP). Open Access Article
Advance care planning (ACP) has been suggested to improve the quality of life (QoL) and mental wellbeing in severely ill patients and their relatives. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Our palliative care service will be working in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support over the next three years to support local care home residents with palliative care needs.
Katie Yockney
The new advanced specialist practitioner post, funded by Macmillan Cancer Support, will help to identify people with palliative care needs who live in a care home in Barnsley with a focus on care planning to make sure that residents’ preferences and wishes are met.
Free access. To evaluate the time course of “taking to bed” at the end of life and determine whether it differs according to age, sex, and condition leading to death.
Many people do not discuss end of life preferences with those closest to them, although this can be beneficial to the individual and wider population. This study evaluated a community intervention to promote end of life preparation and discussion among people who are currently well. Open Access Article
The NHS Long Term Plan (2019) offers potential for improved care both in general and specifically leading to dignified death and dying for those at the end of their life. This plan heralds a promising era for patients at the end of life, as well as their friends and families, in addition to providing an opportunity for health professionals charged with supporting and caring for these patients to maximise the quality of care at the end of life. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
The purpose of this project was to explore how registered community nurses experienced providing holistic end-of-life care and how having a structured end-of-life care pathway plan would help develop their knowledge and skills, particularly in respect of communication and their ability and confidence in providing evidence-based compassionate care. For some practitioners there exists a lack of confidence surrounding end of life care, which can result in nurses' reluctance to become involved and avoid engaging in those ‘difficult conversations’. Following implementation, early reviews from practice suggest that incorporating the 19 steps of the plan into the delivery of community-based care at end of life has enhanced practice and patient experience.
There is a lack of appropriate, validated person-centred outcome measures (PCOM) for paediatric palliative care in the scientific literature, and as a result there is not a tool to drive and evaluate care of children and young people. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.