National Care Service Consultation

The Scottish Government consultation on the National Care Service closed on 2 November.

The SPPC response to the consultation can be viewed here: SPPC response to National Care Service consultation

The Audit Scotland reponse can be viewed here: Audit Scotland response to National Care Service consultation.

Adult social care - winter preparedness plan: 2021-22

The Scottish Government has published Adult Social Care Winter Preparedness Plan which sets out the measures that will be applied across the adult social care sector to meet the challenges over the winter 2021 - 2022. It details information to all those involved in and affected by adult social care provision and includes mentions of palliative and end of life care. The Plan accompanies the Health and Social Care Winter Overview.

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New film on Anticipatory Grief

This new short film from NHS Education from Scotland highlights how health and social care professionals can recognise and support those experiencing anticipatory grief.

Not intervening as a form of care

OpenLearn has published a short film exploring how 'non intervention' doesn't mean 'nothing more can be done'.

REDMAP: Update

RED-MAP is a 6-step guide to future care planning conversations with people whose health is deteriorating, and their families. With funding from PATCH summary cards have recently been updated and NHS Boards who requested copies should now have received them. An updated PowerPoint presentation is available to support staff training. For more information, email kirsty.boyd@ed.ac.uk .

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Participants sought: research into improving discussions about resuscitation

Researchers from Newcastle Univeristy and the University of Manchester are looking to use relatives’/carers’ experiences to inform policymakers and health care providers about what works well and what needs to be improved when discussing end-of-life issues in the context of COVID-19. They would like to interview relatives of people who died during the pandemic (not necessarily as a direct result of COVID-19) in the hospital and who had discussions about resuscitation with health care providers. The questions will cover their experiences and views on the discussions and the general communication modes and issues surrounding access and timing. For more information contact: michaela.hubmann@manchester.ac.uk

Research into experiences of dying at home during the pandemic

Marie Curie and the University of Birmingham are seeking the experiences of bereaved unpaid carers that looked after someone who was terminally ill at home during the pandemic for a piece of research which will explore the challenges faced by carers to inform future provision of support. The research aims to better understand the level of support unpaid carers accessed and received from health and social care professionals during the pandemic, and will document key learnings for the provision of effective support for family carers in future. Marie Curie is seeking experiences of bereaved family carers who cared for a terminally ill person over 16 at home between October 2020-March 2021 and received support from Marie Curie services to inform their research. Please share within your networks, for more information contact Susan.Swan@mariecurie.org.uk

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Poster Parade

Over the years, the poster display and competition has formed an integral part of networking and best practice sharing and learning at our Annual Conferences. Since the pandemic we've brought this online in a virtual Poster Parade. 36 posters were submitted, showcasing a huge range of work from across Scotland. People came together virtually on 28 October for the Virtual Poster Parade to view presentations of some of this work.

A recording of the Poster Parade Event can be viewed here: Poster Parade Event

The virtual poster exhibition can be viewed here: Poster Exhibition.

Derek Doyle Poster Prize

Each year the Derek Doyle Poster Prize is awarded to the poster that gets the most public votes. As many people will know Derek was a key figure in Scotland, the UK and globally in the development of palliative care – instrumental in establishing palliative medicine as a speciality, first chair of the Association for Palliative Medicine, first Vice-Chairman of the European Association for Palliative Care and a founding member of the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care.

This year, the winners of the Derek Doyle Poster Prize were Michael Loynd, NHS Highland and Lorien Cameron-Ross, Highland Hospice, for their poster End of Life Care Together Highland. End of Life Care Together (EoLCT) is a partnership of organisations in Highland focusing on service transformation by delivering outcomes that matter to people and their family and carers in the last year of life. This novel collaboration led by Highland Hospice and with strategic focus from NHS Highland aims to optimise End of Life (EoL) care through a population value approach with equitable access to services.

Annual Conference 2022

We are planning the return of the (face to face) SPPC Annual Conference for Thursday 31st March 2022. A lot can happen before then, but for now we are looking forward to welcoming you back in person to the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

Consultation on the COVID-19 Inquiry Aims and Principles

SPPC has submitted a response to the Scottish Government consultation on the aims and principles of the covid-19 inquiry.

Consultation on the National Care Service

SPPC has submitted a response to the Scottish Government consultaiton on the National Care Service.

New SPPC Council Member

We're pleased to welcome Jacki Smart, Chief Executive of ACCORD Hospice, on to the SPPC Council.

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults

SPPC will draft a response to the consultation on proposals for an Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill, and will be circulating the draft response to members for comments.

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NHSGGC Staff Awards for Excellence

Congratulations to Claire O'Neill for being awarded Leader of the Year in the NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde Staff Awards for Excellence. Claire is Lead Nurse for Palliative Care and Co-Chair of the Scottish Network for Acute Palliative Care.

Scottish Health Awards Nurse of the Year

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Save the Date - SPPC Annual Conference 2022

We are planning the return of the (face to face) SPPC Annual Conference for Thursday 31^st March 2022. A lot can happen before then, but for now we are looking forward to welcoming you back in person to the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

Quality Improvement at PPWH: Information and Ideas Worth Sharing

Organised by Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice. 2pm - 4.30pm, 23 November 2021 on Zoom. There will be seven 12-minute presentations on quality improvement work being carried out at PPWH. For more details and to register, email: Jackie.mearns@ppwh.org

Hope for Home Conference. How to Die Well with Dementia at Home

Organised by Ardgowan Hospice and Hope for Home. 23 November, on zoom. More information is available here: weblink.

NES Bereavement Education Conference 2021: The Changing Face of Bereavement: Providing care and maintaining our own wellbeing during the pandemic

Registration is now open for the Bereavement Education Conference on Wednesday 24th November 2021, online. More information is available here: weblink

EAPC Seminar on Volunteering

Organised by the EAPC Task Force on Volunteering in Hospice & Palliative Care. 9 November 2021. Online. More information is available here: weblink.

Democratizing caring, dying and grieving: participation, action, understanding and evaluation.

7th International Public Health Palliative Care Conference, 20-23 September 2022, Bruges, Belgium. More information is available here: weblink

Webinar on Last Aid and Public Palliative Care Education, 13 January 2022.
The EAPC Task Force on Last Aid is organizing a webinar on 13 January 2022 from 15h00-17h00 (CET). More info soon. Website: click here.

Delirium prevention, assessment and effective management

Organised by Healthcare Conferences UK. Online. 9 February 2022. More information is available here: weblink.

Effective non medical prescribing in end of life care

Organised by Healthcare Conferences UK. Online. 9 February 2022. More information is available here: weblink.

Improving end of life care for people with dementia during Covid-19

Organised by Healthcare Conferences UK. Online. On demand. More information is available here: weblink.

Advanced European bioethics course “Suffering, Death and Palliative Care”

Organised by Healthcare Ethics, IQ healthcare, Radboud University Medical centre. Nijmegen, the Netherlands, 22-25 March 2022. More information is available here: weblink.

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