Review of out-of-hours primary care

The Scottish Government has launched a review of out-of-hours primary care services. The review is being led by NHS Grampian public health director Sir Lewis Ritchie and is scheduled to report by the end of the summer.

Cross Party Group on palliative care

The next meeting of the Cross Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Palliative Care will take place on Wednesday 11th March. The meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss the recently announced Scottish Government review of out of hours primary care services, and the results of the palliative and end of life care priority setting partnership.

Electronic Reporting of Deaths to the Procurator Fiscal

The Scottish Government has published a letter stating that the Electronic Reporting of Deaths to the Procurator Fiscal will be rolled out by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), and NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) to NHSScotland and hospices in phases, from 18 March 2015.

Health & Wellbeing Outcomes Framework

The Scottish Government has published a National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes Framework to provide a strategic framework for the planning and delivery of health and social care services. The framework is designed to be read alongside Scottish Government Guidance on the Principles for Planning and Delivering Integrated Health and Social Care.

Living and dying with dementia in Scotland: barriers to care

Marie Curie Cancer Care have published Living and dying with dementia in Scotland: barriers to care, a report exploring how to ensure a stronger focus on dementia as a terminal condition and the barriers which prevent many people from accessing and receiving appropriate high quality care at the end of their lives.

Review of choice in end of life care (England)

The Choice in End of Life Care Programme Board in England has published What's important to me. A review of choice in end of life care. The document aims to identify the issues people approaching the end of life are currently facing and offer a blueprint for how greater choice in end of life care can be achieved.

Back to top

Difficult Conversations for Young Adults

The National Council of Palliative Care and Together for Short Lives has published Difficult Conversations for Young Adults, a resource designed to help families and professionals approach conversations with young adults about their end of life plans.

European Association for Cancer Education

The European Association for Cancer Education (EACE) aims to improve clinical outcomes through the education and training of individuals involved within the cancer and palliative care continuum and to facilitate communication and networking between those involved in cancer education.

Sharing Scottish Practice

Supporting Physical Activity Participation in Palliative Care

This month on the SPPC Sharing Current Practice blog, Mandy Trickett, Macmillan Specialist Physiotherapist in NHS Tayside shares experiences gained from a project which aimed to develop physical activity programmes for patients with palliative care needs.

Poster abstracts of the month

The SPPC blog also features five posters displayed at the 2013 SPPC annual conference:

Dining with Death Conversation Menus

DNACPR decisions in Lothian Care Homes

Educational Visit to the Crematorium for Hospice Staff

Enablers and Barriers to Volunteering in Care

End of Life Care in Liver Disease

Back to top

Toolkit for the development of palliative care in the community

This blog by Prof Scott Murray, Chair of the European Association for Palliative Care Taskforce in Primary Palliative Care, explains the background to a recently published study on developing a primary palliative care toolkit. The aims of the study were to document the barriers and facilitators for palliative care in the community and to produce a resource toolkit that palliative care specialists, primary care health professionals or policymakers, service developers, educationalists and national groups more generally could use to facilitate the development of palliative care in their own country.

Call for abstracts: European Association of Cancer Educators

The European Association of Cancer Educators has issued a call for abstracts for its upcoming Scientific Meeting in Hedelberg, Germany, 15-17 April 2015. The theme of the conference is Improving outcomes in oncology, palliative and end of life care through education. The deadline for abstract submission is 31 March 2015.

Back to top

"You only have one chance to get it right": A qualitative study of relatives' experiences of caring at home for a family member with terminal cancer

This study, published in Palliative Medicine in January, explores the emotional challenges faced by home caregivers, and their experiences of healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals were perceived as influential in both helping and hindering relatives in meeting the challenges they faced.

Back to top

Webinars for pharmacy staff

The NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde Macmillan Pharmacy Service has developed seven short webinars to support the provision of palliative care and improve prompt access to medication and pharmaceutical advice. The target audience is pharmacy technicians and pharmacy support staff.

Back to top

Annual Review

The Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care Annual Review for the year ended 31 March 2014 is now available.

Save the date

This year's Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care Annual Conference will take place on 23 September 2015 at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. More information will follow.

Lecture series: Can death get any better?

The final lecture in the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care and Marie Curie winter lecture series: Can death get any better? will be given by Professor Tony Walter, Director of the University of Bath Centre for Death & Society. Professor Walter will explore Living and dying in very old age: the limits of choice. Wednesday 25 March, 6pm, MacDonald Holyrood Hotel, Edinburgh. Please contact Susan Lowes at Marie Curie for more information or to book a place.

Annual General Meeting

The SPPC's Annual General Meeting took place on 25 February 2015 at The Lighthouse, Glasgow. It was followed by a lecture by Dr Bee Wee, National Clinical Director for End of Life Care for NHS England speaking on the subject of Care for older people towards the end of life: tensions and challenges.

Back to top

Dying Matters Awareness Week resources

Resources for the sixth annual Dying Matters Awareness Week are now available to order. The theme of this year's Awareness Week, which runs from 18-24 May 2015, is Talk, Plan, Live. Three eye-catching postcards represent the three parts of the message, and provide advice and information on the reverse. Each postcard is accompanied by a poster, and there is a new pop-up banner, which can be co-branded with your organisation's details. The posters, postcards and banners will help those planning an event to create an attention-grabbing display, whatever the type of event. Order yours now via the Dying Matters website.

Survey of home health monitoring

The Scottish Centre for Telehealth & Telecare (SCTT) is inviting participation in a short online survey. The survey aims to gather information about current practice and use of Home Health Monitoring (HHM) or telehealth monitoring. It is for all staff working in health and social care – in the NHS, local authorities, the third/voluntary sector and the independent/private sector.

Clinical Nurse Manager vacancy

Leuchie House, provider of respite breaks in East Lothian, is currently advertising a vacancy for a Clinical Nurse Manager.

In the media

The SPPC does not undertake a comprehensive media monitoring service. Listed below are some of the stories relevant to palliative and end of life care that have appeared in the Media over the last month. For more media coverage relating to palliative and end of life care, check out the eHospice website.

BBC News: New patient resuscitation guidance for Wales

Courier: Action plan for end of life care due in Spring

EAPC blog: Toolkit for the development of palliative care in the community

The Herald: Expert: hospitals are meat grinders that chew up dementia sufferers

The Herald: Dementia patients suffer due to lack of end of life care says charity.

Scottish Government: Fall in hospital mortality rates

University of the West of Scotland: UWS and Ardgowan Hospice launch groundbreaking project to improve access to palliative care

Back to top

...In each edition of UPDATE we try to end with something a little bit different or thought provoking.

“The commission was concerned about the prevalence of ‘magical thinking’ in current policy and politics, which regards providing more integrated care for older people with frailty closer to home as being a ‘silver bullet’ to slay the demon of poor care.”

This is a quote from a report by the HSJ Serco Commission on Hospital Care for Frail Older People, which provides a frank exploration of current thinking and evidence relating to how hospitals meet the needs of frail older people.

Back to top

Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care Annual Conference 2015

23 September, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. More information to follow.

Getting Bereavement Right for Every Child

Child Bereavement UK, 4 March 2015, Edinburgh. More information is available here: weblink.

Inspiration Today: Hope for Tomorrow

6 March 2015, Glasgow. More information is available here: weblink.

Understanding the Palliative Care needs of people with Intellectual Disabilities

10 March 2015, Westerwood Hotel, Cumbernauld. For more information email or phone Clare Kerr on 01324 826222

Palliative Care Cross Party Group

11 March 2015, 5.45pm, Scottish Parliament. More information is available here: weblink.

Assisted Suicide: The ethical arguments for and against, and the current legal regulation

14 March 2015, Glasgow. Contact David Cunningham for more information.

Congress for Consensus in Pediatrics and Child Health

19-22 March 2015, Budapest, Hungary. More information is available here:weblink.

Marie Curie Annual Research Conference: The future of palliative care

27 March 2015, London. More information is available here: weblink.

Association of Palliative Medicine Juniors Conference

London, 28 March 2015. More information is available here: weblink.

Courses offered by St Margaret of Scotland Hospice

More information about the courses below is available from Margaret Donnelly, tel: 0141 435 7017

Developing Emotional Resilience

3- part course , 1300—1700:

4th, 11th & 18th March

12th, 19th & 26th August

Introduction to Palliative Care

4-part course, 1000—1400

5th, 12th, 19th & 26th March

6th, 13th, 20th & 27th August

5th, 12th, 10th & 26th September

Loss , Grief & Bereavement

3-day course, 1000—1600

6th, 13th & 20th May

5th, 11th & 18th September

Symptom Assessment & Management

6-part course

11th, 18th May, 1st, 8th, 15th & 22nd June

7th, 14th & 21st Sept, 5th, 12th & 19th October, 7th, October

End of Life Care: The Principles.

This module is available to health and social care professionals. The overall aim of the module is to examine the core principles underpinning the delivery of high quality end of life care and raise awareness of death, dying and bereavement from a professional and societal perspective. Dates of delivery 2015: Trimester B: 18th, 25th February & 4th, 11th, 18th March 1000—1630 Trimester A: September 23rd, 30th, October 7th, 14th & November 4th 1000—1630

The Together for Short Lives UK Practitioners Conference: Living Matters for Dying Children

14-15 April 2015, Birmingham. More information is available here: weblink

Improving outcomes in oncology, palliative and end of life care through education

28th Annual Scientific Meeting of the European Association of Cancer Educators (EACE). 15-17 April 2015, Heidelberg, Germany. More information is available here: weblink.

Writing for Publication: Catherine Walshe (Editor of Palliative Medicine)

24 April 2015 A palliative care research seminar by Strathcarron Hospice. More information is available from Claire Kerr.

Improving End of Life Care

Wednesday 20 May 2015, Birmingham. More information is available here: weblink.

Dementia Awareness Week Conference: Global Progress; Local Impact

Glasgow, 1 June 2015, more information is available here: weblink.

The Dementia Challenge 2015: Defeating the Disease

Advanced Illness and Changing Needs

RCPE Symposium Edinburgh, Thursday, 30 April 2015. More information is available here: weblink.

The 4th International Conference for Public Health Palliative Care: Community Resilience in Practice

11- 16 May 2015, Bristol. More information is available here: weblink

Changing Ways: Perspectives on Palliative Care for the Frail Elderly Conference

West Park Centre, Dundee. 22 May 2015. Email for further details.

Association for Continence Advice Conference and Exhibition 2015

4 and 5 June 2015, Hilton Brighton Metropole. More information is available here:weblink.

New Directions in Palliative Medicine 5th Annual Conference

Beyond the Diagnosis. 8 and 9 October 2015. Inchyra Grange Hotel, Grangemouth. More information is available here: weblink

Rediscovering Holism: the future for Palliative Care

The 11th Palliative Care Congress, 9 - 11 March 2016, Glasgow. More information is available here: weblink

Back to top