Integration Indicators relating to end of life care

The Scottish Government has published a Core Suite of Integration Indicators to support Integration Authorities to deliver the National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes. The suite of indicators includes:

• Proportion of last 6 months of life spent at home or in community setting.

• Expenditure on End of Life Care.

Sustainability and Seven Day Services Taskforce Interim Report

The Sustainability and Seven Day Services Taskforce was set up to look at how the NHS can consistently deliver high quality care round the clock, including at weekends. The group have published an Interim Report which provides an update on the work undertaken on the programme to date and sets out next steps in taking this work forward.

Scottish Government strategy on eHealth

The Scottish Government has published a revised version of its strategy to support the development of eHealth.

Marie Curie daffodil debate

On the 4th March the Scottish Parliament held a members’ business debate on Marie Curie Cancer Care’s 2015 great daffodil appeal.

Proposed Bill: Burial, Cremation and other matters

The Scottish Government is currently consulting on a Bill with the aim of developing a legal framework which ensures that the appropriate dignity and respect is shown when carrying out burials and cremations. The proposed bill covers various related matters, including funeral poverty. The closing date for responses is Friday 24 April.

Carers (Scotland) Bill

The Health and Sport Committee has launched a call for written views to inform its consideration of the Carers (Scotland) Bill. The closing date for responses is Wednesday 22 April.

New Chief Medical Officer appointed

Dr Catherine Calderwood has been appointed as the Scottish Government’s new Chief Medical Officer.

New Chief Nursing Officer

The Scottish Government has appointed Professor Fiona McQueen as Scotland’s new Chief Nursing Officer.

Commons Select Committee Report on End of Life Care (England & Wales)

The Commons Select Committee have published a report looking at end of life care in England and Wales and making a number of recommendations.

Improving palliative care: national data collection (England)

Public Health England’s National End of Life Care Intelligence Network (NEoLCIN) recently completed a consultation asking for feedback on plans for a new national data collection from specialist palliative care services. Feedback is currently being analysed.

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Guidance on management of cardiovascular implanted electronic devices

The Resuscitation Council (UK) [RC (UK)], the British Cardiovascular Society [BCS] and the National Council for Palliative Care [NCPC] have published guidance relating to management of cardiovascular implanted electronic devices (CIEDs) towards the end of life, during cardiorespiratory arrest and after death. This document has been developed to provide guidance for the full range of healthcare professionals who may encounter people with CIEDs below and for healthcare managers and commissioners.

What do children and young people want?

My life, my support, my choice: a vision for coordinated care and support for children and young people with complex lives has been published by National Voices and Think Local Act Personal. The report seeks to capture and build understanding of the specific desires and needs of children and young people.

Resilience framework supporting staff

Hospice UK has launched Resilience: A framework supporting hospice staff to flourish in stressful times. The resource is designed to help hospice leaders support their staff to continue to provide high quality care in stressful times.

What to expect when someone important to you is dying

The National Council for Palliative Care has published What to expect when someone important to you is dying, a new guide designed to demystify the dying process so that people better understand the changes that can happen to their loved ones in the last days of life.

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A Whole School Approach to Loss and Bereavement

A group of organisations have jointly published A Whole School Approach to Loss and Bereavement,a reference toolkit, providing information to help teachers support children and young people during times of loss, change and bereavement. NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Glasgow City Council Education Services, the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice, St Margaret of Scotland Hospice and Marie Curie have produced the resource to support teachers from early years to secondary education environments. It has been developed to support teachers to increase their knowledge and understanding of loss, change and bereavement.

Poster abstracts of the month

This month the SPPC Sharing Current Practice blog features five posters displayed at the 2014 SPPC annual conference:

· End of Life Care – what matters

· Essentially for you

· Family satisfaction with care in the in-patient unit IPU

· Improving people’s experience of death, dying and bereavement

· Improving the experience for bereaved families by developing a process for issuing death certificates

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Hospice UK: Call for Papers

Hospice UK are now accepting abstract submissions for posters and oral presentations at their annual conference this November. They are especially interested to hear about work that acknowledges and addresses changing needs, preferences and opportunities for hospice care – now and in the future. The closing date for submissions is 26 May 2015.

Palliative Care Congress: Call for bursary abstracts

The call for bursary abstracts is now open for the 11^th Palliative Care Congress: Rediscovering Holism: the future for Palliative Care, which will take place 9 – 11 March 2016, at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow. The closing date for bursary abstract submission is Wednesday 6 May 2015. (This is a call for bursary applicants only. The main call for papers opens on Friday 22 May 2015.)

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Hospital admissions from the perspectives of patients with palliative care needs

Undertaken in New Zealand, the aim of this study was to explore the benefits of hospital admissions, from the perspectives of patients with palliative care needs. Four themes were identified from the data: being cared for and feeling safe, receiving care to manage at home, relief for family and "feeling better and/or getting better."

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Organiser app from Macmillan

Macmillan have produced My Organiser, an app designed to enable people to save all their important treatment information in one place. It is available on iTunes and on Google Play.

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Evidencing 3rd sector impact

The SPPC has worked with member organisations and Evaluation Support Scotland to publish No Place for Fatalism: Third sector contributions to improving older people’s experiences of declining health, bereavement and death. The publication is part of the Stitch in Time series of publications which aim to collect and present evidence about third sector contributions to Health and Social Care Partnerships.

Can death get any better? A lecture series.

Last week saw the last lecture in the Can death get any better? winter lecture series, hosted jointly by the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care and Marie Curie Cancer Care. The lecture series has been well-attended and received excellent feedback. The closing lecture was given by Professor Tony Walter, Director of the University of Bath Centre for Death & Society, and explored the subject ‘Living and dying in very old age: the limits of choice’.

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.

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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.

Budget

The 2015 Budget means that hospice charities will be eligible for VAT refunds from 1 April 2015.

St Vincent’s Hospice community garden

Work has now started on St Vincent’s Hospice community garden, which is scheduled to open in the summer.

Self-directed support awareness week

This week, Scottish Government and partners are hosting a self-directed support awareness week, aimed at increasing people’s knowledge and understanding of directing their own support and social care.

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.

Scottish Express: US firm IHI paid for dying hospital patients project

Sunday Herald: The hidden misery of thousands of Scots at work and struggling to cope with dementia

The Scotsman: Nurses at the heart of everything we do

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Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care Annual Conference 2015

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

Death Cafe

Thomas Tosh Cafe, Thornhill, Dumfrieshire, 15 April, 7pm. More information is available here: weblink.

Death Cafe

Blend Coffee Lounge, Perth, 27 April, 6pm. More information is available here: weblink.

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.

Caring without Prejudice: Living & Dying Well with Addiction

St Margaret of Scotland Hospice, 28 April 2015. 12.30- 2pm. Speaker: Dr Saket Priyadarshi Associate Medical Director—NHS GG&C Addiction Services. For more information email Margaret Donnelly.

Advanced Illness and Changing Needs

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

End of Life Care

An afternoon palliative care educational session for healthcare professionals working in primary care and the community, including: What’s new in palliative care; End of life care record; Palliative care guidelines and symptom control at end of life; What matters to me? Blantyre:Thurs 14^th May; Motherwell: Wed 10^thJune; St Andrews Hospice: Thurs 17th September; Popinjay Hotel, Rosebank, Wed 11^th November. For more information, email Fiona Young.

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

London, 2nd June 2015. More details are 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

Looking Back, Looking Forward

14 May 2015, Edinburgh. Evaluation Support Scotland reflects on evaluation practice over the last ten years and looks at evaluation support in the future. More details are 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.

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 C: 27th May, 3rd, 10th, 17th & 24th June 1000—1630; Trimester A: September 23rd, 30th, October 7th, 14th & November 4th 1000—1630 To register your interest or for further information please contact Angela Miller or Margaret Donnelly.

Association for Continence Advice Conference and Exhibition 2015

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

CDAS Conference 2015: Death and its Futures

5-6 June 2015, University of Bath. More information is available here: weblink

Developing Effective Cancer Survivorship Services

15 June 2015, London. More information is available here: weblink.

Working with Teenagers/Young Adults with Cancer

A one day Learning Event. 30 June 2015, Edinburgh. 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

Hospice UK Annual conference: The art and science of hospice care.

10-12 November 2015, Liverpool. 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

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

There’s a Hole in the Bucket

In this blog, Kelly McCutcheon Adams, Director at the US-based Institute for Healthcare Improvement explores the many opportunities for improving how health care providers receive, record, and respect every patient's end-of-life wishes.

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