Latest news from SPPC
Grasping the Nettle
The SPPC has published Grasping the Nettle: What action can we take to improve palliative and end of life care in Scotland? The paper articulates the views and expertise of SPPC member organisations and stakeholders with the aim of supporting, enriching and informing the development of the forthcoming Scottish Government Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care (SFA).
This work was led by a multi-disciplinary subgroup of the SPPC Council and developed in consultation with SPPC members and other relevant stakeholders.
- explores what people need when faced with the reality of deteriorating health and death, bearing in mind that these experiences are influenced by many factors outside formal service provision;
- Ÿexplores and clarifies terminology;
- sets out a vision for a Scotland where people’s wellbeing is supported even as their health declines;
- outlines the current landscape relating to palliative and end of life care, including policy, barriers, and key issues;
- Ÿdescribes how a Strategic Framework for Action can add value, sets out 4 outcomes it should work towards, and 15 key challenges that need to be addressed in order to achieve these outcomes;
- Ÿproposes a number of practical actions that should be undertaken in the next five years to improve people’s experiences of death, dying and bereavement in Scotland.
A full copy of the report can be downloaded here: Grasping the Nettle
HIS Quality of Care Review Consultation
The SPPC has submitted a response to Healthcare Improvement Scotland's Quality of Care Review consultation, from the hospice members of the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care.
Complex nutritional care standards
The Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care has submitted a response to the recent HIS consultation on draft Complex Nutritional Care standards. The response can be viewed here: SPPC response to HIS draft Complex Nutritional Care standards.SPPC response to Health & Sport Committee inquiry
The SPPC has submitted a response to the Scottish Parliament Health & Sport Committee's call for written views in relation to palliative care.
The Health and Sport Committee is currently holding an inquiry into Palliative Care in Scotland, which intends to focus on three key areas:
Access to Palliative Care
What are the barriers to consistent access to Palliative Care and how can those barriers be overcome? When Palliative Care provision is based on needs, how can access to appropriate Palliative Care provision be assured across different conditions, locations (such as at home, or hospice) and prognoses? What are the benefits and potential drawbacks of having a named healthcare professional for each patient/family in receipt of Palliative Care?
The initial conversations about palliative and end of life care.
Is this the access point to the care pathway? When should it take place? Who with and what should be asked? What is the role of carers and families? Are heath and care professional adequately supported to hold these conversations?
Research
The Committee has also agreed to undertake some focussed research into international comparisons of measurement of data used in palliative and end of life care including: What indicators are used to measure the access to and the quality of Palliative and end of life care in other countries? Which indicators have proven effective and why, based on international experiences and research?
The SPPC response:
- outlines what it is as a society that we are trying to achieve in this field.
- attempts to establish some terminological and conceptual clarity about palliative and end of life care
- explores the role of conversations
- assesses current access to palliative and end of life care in Scotland
- identifies some of the barriers to access
- proposes a series of actions for improving palliative and end of life care are proposed.
The full SPPC response is available here: SPPC response to Health and Sport Committee call for written views relating to palliative care.
Scottish Government Engagement Paper
The Scottish Government has produced an engagement document to support the development of a Strategic Framework Action for Palliative and End of Life Care.
The Scottish Government has invited comments and contributions on the engagement paper, and on the development process in general, by Monday 31 August 2015.
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