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NHS Forth Valley Palliative Care Resource Pack

NHS Forth Valley Managed Clinical Network in Palliative Care has developed a Palliative Care Resource Pack for use across all care settings providing general or specialist palliative care. The pack contains information that can be used for staff training on topics such as communication skills, symptom control, carer support, co-ordination of care and care of the dying.

Click on the icons below to access an electronic version:

Palliative Care Manual
Symptom Control Booklet

Gold Standards Framework Scotland

The Gold Standards Framework Scotland Project has now come to an end and the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care has taken over the management of the GSFS database for a 12-month period. That is, the Partnership will continue to maintain the GSFS data by:

accepting baseline, 6- and 12-month questionnaires from practices;
providing relevant analysis to practices at 6 and 12 months; and
completing quarterly reports for the three Scottish cancer networks.

Practice anonymity and confidentiality will be maintained. The questionnaires can be downloaded from the GSFS web site and completed.

Please note that the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care is not responsible for supporting practices or facilitators, nor is it responsible for compiling reports for the health board areas. However, the GSFS website has already been set up to guide practices through the GSFS programme and offers a facility to keep facilitators (and everyone) up to speed with national developments. Also, the quarterly GSFS cancer network reports may be accessed via the respective cancer networks.If you have any queries the answers should be available along with all GSFS documentation and tools on the GSFS web site www.gsfs.scot.nhs.uk where you can download or print any paperwork required for use in your practice.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland National Overview
January 2004 - Specialist Palliative Care

In January 2004 NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHSQIS) published the first ever national review of specialist palliative care services in Scotland. The performance of 21 adult hospices and specialist palliative care units and one children's hospice was reviewed during 2003 against the NHSQIS Clinical Standards for Specialist Palliative Care. The report concludes: 'Without exception, the people providing this care demonstrated commitment, enthusiasm, skill and compassion. There is a human warmth about this service, despite the sophisticated drugs and treatments used, that brings comfort to people who are dying and to their families and those who care about them.' There was a high level of compliance with most of the standards which assess essential components of specialist palliative care including communication, symptom control, rehabilitation, education and training, research and audit, continuity of care, bereavement support and terminal care. The review found that staff are well trained and have a high level of awareness of the needs of patients; services aspire to achieve an excellent standard of physical, social, spiritual and psychological care; facilities for the care of patients are generally good and there is a strong commitment to training and education.

However, there are areas that can be strengthened and improved. The report notes that many specialist units and teams are currently reaching capacity and this needs to be taken into account when planning services. It highlights shortages in certain staff groups, including specialist nurses, which is reducing the availability of 24-hour specialist advice. Many consultants are working long hours in an attempt to meet the demands placed on them. The report also calls for action at a national level to address shortages of psychologists. It recommends that services be reviewed to ensure equitable access across Scotland. Other recommendations include the need for further research to determine the most effective form of service configuration; the establishment of clinical networks; more integrated planning and delivery of services; a review of 24-hour specialist advice; and better referral and assessment of patients.

View the Full Report

News NHS Forth Valley Palliative Care Resource Pack NHS Forth Valley Managed Clinical Network in Palliative Care has developed a Palliative Care Resource Pack for use across all care settings providing general or specialist palliative care. The pack contains information that can be used for staff training on topics such as communication skills, symptom control, carer support, co-ordination of care and care of the dying. Click on the icons below to access an electronic version: Palliative Care Manual Symptom Control Booklet Gold Standards Framework Scotland The Gold Standards Framework Scotland Project has now come to an end and the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care has taken over the management of the GSFS database for a 12-month period. That is, the Partnership will continue to maintain the GSFS data by: accepting baseline, 6- and 12-month questionnaires from practices; providing relevant analysis to practices at 6 and 12 months; and completing quarterly reports for the three Scottish cancer networks. Practice anonymity and confidentiality will be maintained. The questionnaires can be downloaded from the GSFS web site and completed. Please note that the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care is not responsible for supporting practices or facilitators, nor is it responsible for compiling reports for the health board areas. However, the GSFS website has already been set up to guide practices through the GSFS programme and offers a facility to keep facilitators (and everyone) up to speed with national developments. Also, the quarterly GSFS cancer network reports may be accessed via the respective cancer networks.If you have any queries the answers should be available along with all GSFS documentation and tools on the GSFS web site www.gsfs.scot.nhs.uk where you can download or print any paperwork required for use in your practice. NHS Quality Improvement Scotland National Overview January 2004 - Specialist Palliative Care In January 2004 NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHSQIS) published the first ever national review of specialist palliative care services in Scotland. The performance of 21 adult hospices and specialist palliative care units and one children's hospice was reviewed during 2003 against the NHSQIS Clinical Standards for Specialist Palliative Care. The report concludes: 'Without exception, the people providing this care demonstrated commitment, enthusiasm, skill and compassion. There is a human warmth about this service, despite the sophisticated drugs and treatments used, that brings comfort to people who are dying and to their families and those who care about them.' There was a high level of compliance with most of the standards which assess essential components of specialist palliative care including communication, symptom control, rehabilitation, education and training, research and audit, continuity of care, bereavement support and terminal care. The review found that staff are well trained and have a high level of awareness of the needs of patients; services aspire to achieve an excellent standard of physical, social, spiritual and psychological care; facilities for the care of patients are generally good and there is a strong commitment to training and education. However, there are areas that can be strengthened and improved. The report notes that many specialist units and teams are currently reaching capacity and this needs to be taken into account when planning services. It highlights shortages in certain staff groups, including specialist nurses, which is reducing the availability of 24-hour specialist advice. Many consultants are working long hours in an attempt to meet the demands placed on them. The report also calls for action at a national level to address shortages of psychologists. It recommends that services be reviewed to ensure equitable access across Scotland. Other recommendations include the need for further research to determine the most effective form of service configuration; the establishment of clinical networks; more integrated planning and delivery of services; a review of 24-hour specialist advice; and better referral and assessment of patients. View the Full Report

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