Marie Curie Palliative Care Knowledge Zone
The Marie Curie Palliative Care Knowledge Zone provides information that can help professioanls with providing the best possible care for people living with a terminal illness, and the people important to them. Information includes conditions specific information, care at the end of life, symptom management, recognising emergencies, planning and communication, caring for underserved or disadvantaged communities, and guidance and safeguarding
Expanding Specialist Palliative Care Access: Telehealth Solutions for Rural Communities – The Churchill Fellowship
Report by Gerard Leddy, Service Improvement Lead, Southern Health & Social Care Trust. It focuses on expanding access to Specialist Palliative Care, including areas of more rurality. This paper not only provides the opportunity to look at how we can work differently, supported by evidence and outcomes from other areas, but showcases the wonderful work being done by the SPaRTa team Palliative Care Queensland, which Gerard travelled to over the course of his Fellowship
Care of the Deceased Adult in Hospital and Those Important to Them
Developed collaboratively by the regional Trust Bereavement Coordinators, the guideline aims to support nurses and midwives in delivering compassionate, safe, consistent and person-centred care after death. The document reflects best practice, professional standards and the shared commitment across the region to ensuring dignity and respect for the deceased and for those important to them.
The Department of Health’s response to Northern Ireland Assembly’s Committee for Health – Access to Palliative Care Services
Report on access to palliative care services acknowledges growing demand for palliative care, highlights ongoing improvements through the Palliative Care in Partnership Programme, recognises continuing challenges in service coordination and planning and commits to addressing the Committee’s recommendations within the context of wider health system reform and available resources.
Palliative and End-of-Life Care Competency Assessment Tool
The Competency Assessment Tool has been developed by a multidisciplinary group, currently practicing within the Health & Social Care Trusts, the independent and the voluntary sector within Northern Ireland. The competencies within the tool can be interpreted and applied across the range of sectors, settings and disciplines which provide palliative and end-of-life care. They are inclusive of all adult populations, regardless of diagnosis, culture or need. The Assessment Tool will assist individuals to build on the skills they already have, shaping professional practice in accordance with the document Living Matters: Dying Matters, a Strategy for Palliative and End of Life Care for Adults in Northern Ireland (Department of Health and Social Services and Public Safety, 2010).
Integrated Care Pathway for Children with Complex Physical Health Care Needs
This pathway guides community services in meeting the needs of families, children and young people, aged up to 18 years, who have complex physical healthcare needs. This is defined as: Children (and young people) with complex physical healthcare needs are those who require a range of additional support services beyond the type and amount required by children generally and those usually provided to children with impairments and long-term illnesses.
NI Guidance for the Management of Diabetes in Adults During the Last Days of Life
Discuss changing the approach to diabetes management with individual and/or family if not already explored. Ensure the Diabetes Specialist Team and GP (as appropriate) are involved and agree monitoring strategy
Guidance for the management of symptoms in adults with Heart Failure at the end of life
This guidance has been developed for healthcare professionals managing heart failure symptoms when end of life is expected within weeks to days. For these patients it would likely be inappropriate to monitor bloods at this stage of a patient’s illness. However due to the trajectory of heart failure it is advised to use clinical judgement to monitor bloods or vital observations should the end of life stage become prolonged or longer than predicted.
HSC Guidance Document for Subcutaneous Syringe Pump Use in Adults
This guidance has been designed to support both healthcare professionals and patients, this guidance provides practical, evidence-based insights to support safe and effective use of subcutaneous syringe pumps for adults across Northern Ireland. It provides a regional standardised approach to consent, patient information, prescribing, administration, education, training, audit and governance. This regional guidance aims to promote safer subcutaneous medication delivery and improved patient outcomes by offering practical patient centred advice, clear processes, and guidance to reduce the risk of error.
Northern Ireland Antenatal Pathway
The Northern Ireland Regional Paediatric Palliative Care Network (RPPCN) have developed a resource to support families and professionals where a diagnosis of a potentially life limiting, or life-threatening condition has been made at antenatal stage. The resource will help inform parental decisions and promote effective communication between professionals to ensure the most effective supports are put in place.