Implementation of the Strategic Framework for Action

The Scottish Government have established a section of their website to host information about implementation of the Strategic Framework for Action.

DNACPR Policy update

National policy on DNACPR (Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) for adults in Scotland has been updated, and the Scottish Government have published a press release relating to the update.

Health and Social Care Integration

The Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) have produced a briefing on Integration of Health and Social Care. The briefing describes how the legislation is being implemented and examines key issues for the integration agenda. The ALLIANCE has published an Integration Arrangements Spreadsheet which aims to provide up-to-date information about integration arrangements across Scotland.

GIRFEC Information Pack

The new duties in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 started on 31 August. The Scottish Government has launched an information pack for practitioners and the public to find out more about how the new legislation will affect those working in the sector and families themselves.

Parliamentary Questions

The Scottish Government has published answers to several written parliamentary questions relating to the Strategic Framework for Action:

S5W-01365

Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government which health and social care partnerships will be supported by Healthcare Improvement Scotland to test and implement improvements in the identification and care coordination of those who can benefit from palliative and end-of-life care, as set out in its Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care.

Shona Robison: East Ayrshire, Glasgow City, Perth and Kinross, Western Isles/ Eilean Siar and Fife Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) will be supported to test and implement improvements in the approaches taken to the identification of needs and coordination of palliative and end of life care for people who need this.

S5W-01366

Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide strategic commissioning guidance on palliative and end-of-life care to health and social care partnerships, as set out in its Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care.

Shona Robison:The Scottish Government plans to issue the strategic commissioning guidance on palliative and end of life care this winter.

S5W-01367

Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support greater public and personal discussion of bereavement, death, dying and care at the end of life, as set out in its Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has asked the Chief Executive of Ardgowan Hospice to identify learning from work such as ‘Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief’, ‘Compassionate Inverclyde’ and ‘To Absent Friends’ and provide advice on how best to support the spread of this work and address any gaps.

S5W-01368:

Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what work it has done to support clinical and health economic evaluations of palliative and end-of-life care models, as set out in its Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care.

Shona Robison:The Scottish Government is working to ensure that health economic expertise is available to Health and Social Care Partnerships to support them in developing and testing improved care processes.

S5W-01369

Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what the work programme is of the National Implementation Support Group that it has set up, as referred to in its Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care.

Shona Robison: The National Implementation Advisory Group met for the first time on 3 June. At this meeting they identified subject matter experts to lead on each of the commitments outlined in the Strategic Framework.

S5W-01370

Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether it published implementation and improvement plans for palliative and end-of-life care by April 2016, as set out in its Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care.

Shona Robison:The Scottish Government is supporting the development of locally owned improvement and implementation plans through the commissioning of additional improvement support, support for a new educational framework, and guidance for developing plans that take account of local needs.

S5W-01271

Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government when the first annual learning and improvement report into palliative and end-of-life care, referred to in its Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care, will be published.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government plans to issue the first annual learning and improvement report into palliative and end of life care in spring 2017.

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New guidance on decisions relating to CPR

The British Medical Association, Royal College of Nursing and Resuscitation Council (UK) have published Decisions Relating to CPR. The document aims to offer in-depth advice on this topic and the relevant ethical principles involved.

Anticipatory Care Planning workshop

Anticipatory Care Planning: A Call for Action took place on 9th June, and a blog summarising the event can be accessed on the Living Well in Communities website.

Travel Fellowships

The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust is now accepting applications for its Travel Fellowship scheme. A number of different schemes are available, all with a closing date of 20 September 2017: Nursing and Medical Practice & Education; Nursing & Allied Health Professions; Medical Practice & Education.

Palliative and end of life care learning needs survey

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) are currently undertaking a survey to inform their development of an education and development framework as part of the Strategic Framework for Action for Palliative and End of Life Care. They are keen to hear from all workers, including specialist and generalist, clinical and non-clinical, in health and social care who have contact with people with palliative care needs, those nearing the end of life. The closing date for responses is 19 October 2016.

New online MND resource for nurses

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the MND Association of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, have launched a new online resource to improve knowledge and provide support for nurses treating people living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

Sharing Current Scottish Practice

The SPPC Annual Conference in 2015 featured 38 poster displays, sharing work and research underway across Scotland. Each month, our Sharing Current Scottish Practice blog focuses on the content of a few of these posters. This month, we focus on:

• Phase 2 randomised controlled trial of future care planning in patients with advanced heart disease
• Preparing for 'real life' - Reducing Death Anxiety in 3rd year nursing students
• Quality Improvement with Nursing Handovers
• Supporting people with learning disabilities through the palliative care journey- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Learning Disabilities and Palliative Care Pathway
• Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT): Enabling identification of patients at risk of deteriorating and dying worldwide
• Talking the Untalkable in Fife
• The challenges for volunteering in hospice and palliative care in Europe
• The new West Lothian Community Palliative Care Service: reflections from the first year

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AIIHPC Palliative Care Survey Report

The All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) has published a report which brings together findings from its ‘Let’s Talk About’ palliative care survey. As well as publishing an Executive Summary and Full Report, the results of the survey can be accessed via a short animated film and infographic.

The ‘problematisation’ of palliative care in hospital: an exploratory review of international palliative care policy in five countries

Jackie Robinson, Merryn Gott, Clare Gardiner and Christine Ingleton. “The aim of this exploratory review is to identify the role envisaged for the acute hospital in palliative and end of life care provision in five countries with an ‘advanced’ level of integration.” BMC Palliative Care 2016 15:64

Mapping the progress and impacts of public health approaches to palliative care: a scoping review protocol

Daryll Archibald, Rebecca Patterson, Erna Haraldsdottir, Mark Hazelwood, Shirley Fife, Scott A Murray. “Here we outline a scoping review protocol that will systematically map and categorise the variety of activities and programmes that could be classified under the umbrella term ‘public health palliative care’ and highlight the impact of these activities where measured.” BMJ Open 2016;6:e012058. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016- 012058

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Patients’ perception of types of errors in palliative care – results from a qualitative interview study

Isabel Kiesewetter, Christian Schulz, Claudia Bausewein, Rita Fountain and Andrea Schmitz DOI: 10.1186/s12904-016-0141-4

This study aimed to explore how palliative care patients perceive and think about errors in palliative care and to generate an understanding of patients’ perception of errors in that specialty.

Through My Eyes

Together or Short Lives has produced a new animation to show what life can be like for families caring for a seriously ill child. The animation shows the daily challenges families face caring for a child with a life-shortening condition, and the impact on family life.

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SPPC Annual Conference: Last chance to book

The SPPC Annual Conference takes place on Thursday 22 September, at the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh. We are looking forward to welcoming a high quality and varied line-up of speakers, including Professor Charles Norman, Professor Brendan McCormick, Professor Myra Bluebond-Langner, Rev Dr Hamilton Inbadas, Dr Martin Wilson, Diana Kerr and Maria McGill.

Topics for exploration will include:

• health economic evaluation of palliative care and making the case for palliative care in times of austerity
• person-centred practice
• using research to increase understanding of the illness experience
• the new Scottish Atlas of Palliative Care
• the role of music in the lives of people with dementia
• palliative care for babies, children and young people
• realistic medicine for an ageing population

Delegates will also have the opportunity to choose from a range of parallel sessions, focusing on volunteering, integration, research or anticipatory care planning. The conference poster exhibition will showcase a range of work being undertaken in Scotland.

You can view the full programme online here. Online booking is available here: Conference online registration. Book now to avoid disappointment.

SPPC Council

We are pleased to welcome three new members to the SPPC Council:

• Amy Dalrymple, Head of Policy, Alzheimer Scotland.
• Dr Pat Carragher, Medical Director and Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Children's Hospice Association Scotland.
• Dr Annabel Howell, Associate Medical Director Primary & Community Services, NHS Borders

Strengthening public, patient, carer and family voices

The SPPC is establishing a new group to explore appropriate and meaningful ways of strengthening public, patient, family and carer voices within the field of palliative and end of life care policy and practice.

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Community of practice for people working in bereavement care

NES has established the Support Around Death Community of Practice, an online forum designed to enable people to network and share information on bereavement in Scotland.

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Sue Ryder publishes FoI findings

Sue Ryder has published its findings from a Freedom of Information request to Scotland’s fourteen health boards regarding the provision of out-of-hours co-ordinated palliative care and support.

Consultation on Social Security in Scotland

The Scottish Government is publishing a consultation on social security in Scotland, to gather views and inform future decisions, including the development of the forthcoming Social Security Bill. The closing date is 28 October 2016.

ICPCN launches new campaign

The International Children's Palliative Care Network is reaching out to the palliative care community and beyond with its 'Just One Thing' campaign – raising awareness of the needs of 21 million children worldwide living with a life-shortening condition. The campaign asks children, parents, healthcare professionals and ordinary people to commit to doing just one thing to help ensure every child gets the palliative care they need.

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 few months. For more media coverage relating to palliative and end of life care, check out the eHospice website.

BBC News: New Glasgow hospice design 'all about patients'

The Herald: ‘Dying patients can struggle to get out-of-hours support’

Sunday Post: Schools are organising ‘death clubs’ to teach children how to manage their feelings.

Scottish Legal News: Young driving increase in powers of attorney

The Scotsman: Richard Meade: Why more support must be provided

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...in each edition of Update we try to end with something a little bit thought-provoking or different... Euphemisms... do they play an important role in talking sensitively about death? Or do they simply cause confusion and problems? Playwright, performer and poet, Martin O’Connor performs a poem inspired by delegate discussions at a this year’s NHS Scotland Event session on Bringing Death Back to Life.

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Last chance to book for SPPC Annual Conference

The SPPC Annual Conference will take place will take place on 22 September 2016 at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Book here: weblink.

Mental Health and Social Support: Linking Research and Practice

A free seminar organised by Voluntary Health Scotland, Support in Mind and The Open University Scotland. 2 November 2016, 4.30pm-7pm Dundee. More information is available here: weblink.

Lymphoedema/ Chronic Oedema – Are you meeting the needs of your local population?

A free webinar hosted by NHS England on behalf of the National Lymphoedema Partnership. This webinar is designed to be of interest to anyone who wants to know more about this condition and how effective services can support local priorities. 8 September 2016, 6-7pm. Register here: weblink

Post School Transition; Getting it Right

Organised by Cairn Legal. The event is designed to be of interest to parents of young people with disabilities or additional support needs and professionals working in the fields of education, social work or the voluntary sector.14 September 2016. For more information contact Nicola.

Challenging Inequities in Palliative Care

Organised by Marie Curie. 15 September 2016, Edinburgh. More information and booking available here: weblink.

Effective Non-Medical Prescribing in End of Life Care

Organised by HC-UK Conferences. Friday 16 September 2016, London. More information is available here: weblink.

Strathcarron Hospice Annual Conference: New Directions In Palliative Medicine - Living with Dying: Challenges Towards the End of Life

29 - 30 September 2016, Polmont. More information is available here: weblink.

Social Aspects of Death, Dying and Bereavement

Organised by the International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement. 5 November, Glasgow. More information is available here: weblink

Hospice UK Annual Conference – ‘People, Partnerships and Potential’

16 to 18 November 2016, Liverpool. More information is available here: weblink.

Let’s talk about end of life care

Organised by the RCN, the National Council for Palliative Care and the SPPC. Wednesday 30 November, Glasgow. More information is available here: weblink.

Clinical Epidemiology Webinar Series

Organised by Public Health England, the following webinars are now taking bookings:

• The NEoLCIN focus on end of life care in care homes. Thursday 24 November

• Using data to understand variation in end of life care: Introducing the new End of Life Care Atlas of Variation Wednesday 22 February

Register your interest using the online booking form and if you have any questions contact Nicola Bowtell.

Next steps for primary care in Scotland

Organised by Scotland Policy Conferences. 18 January 2017, Central Edinburgh. More information is available here: weblink.

5^th International Public Health & Palliative Care Conference

17 -20 September 2017, Ottawa, Canada. More information is available here: weblink.

St Andrew’s Hospice courses

For more information about any of the courses below, please contact Christine Reaoch Education Secretary, St Andrew’s Hospice, tel: 01236 772017

Communication, Loss Grief and Bereavement

9 – 16 September 2016;17 - 24 October 2016; 7 – 14 November; 9 - 16 December

Introduction to Spirituality in Health Care

6 – 13 September 2016; 4 – 11 November

End of Life Care

6 October 2016

Breaking Bad News

17 November 2016

Communication in Crisis

9 November 2016

Spirituality in Health Care

4 October - 8 November 2016

Palliative Care: Principles of Practice

28 September - 2 November 2016

Advanced Therapeutic Communication Skills - Using Personality Type

23 – 30 September 2016

Managing Challenging Behaviour

23 November 2016

Palliative Care for Health Care Assistants

7 – 14 October 2016

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