Health and Social Care Strategy for Older People

The Scottish Government is consulting on its Health and Social Care Strategy for Older People. The closing date for comments is 19 June 2022.

New Clinical Lead for Palliative and End of Life Care

We have received the following update from Scottish Government relating to the appointment of a new Clinical Lead for Palliative and End of Life Care:

"I am pleased to be able to share with you that the process to appoint a National Clinical Lead for Palliative and End of Life Care has concluded, and the position has been offered to Dr Alison C. Mitchell, Consultant in Palliative Medicine at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. The relevant pre-employment process is underway, following which, we anticipate Dr Mitchell will take up post in the last week of March 2022. The National Clinical Lead for Palliative and End of Life Care will provide guidance and leadership at a national level, and will help drive forward the development of our new palliative and end of life care strategy. It is important to reflect that much of the success of our previous palliative and end of life care strategy relied on the empowerment of local services to make changes in the way they work to meaningfully improve on the care provided to those nearing the end of life. With this in mind, we also anticipate the Dr Mitchell will have a key role in supporting improvements in the planning and delivery of local palliative and end of life care services."

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GMC Guidance Updates

The General Medical Council (GMC) recently made a number of factual updates to their guidance on Treatment and care towards the end of life; Good practice in prescribing and managing medicines and devices; and their joint guidance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council on The professional duty of candour.

Ukraine crisis – information for bereavement service managers and practitioners

The National Bereavement Alliance has pulled together a webpage signposting sources of support for groups in different circumstances, including:

• Support for Ukrainian nationals arriving in the UK
• Support for Ukrainian parents on supporting their children
• Advice for parents supporting children affected by the news
• For young people affected by the news
• For organisations supporting children bereaved by the war
• Support for schools welcoming refugee children and young people
• Training for bereavement and other organisations

Sharing Current Scottish Practice

The SPPC Autumn Season 2021 featured an online poster exhibition of 36 posters, sharing work and research underway across Scotland. Each month, our blog focuses on the content of a few of these posters. This month, we focus on:

• “I’m sorry I haven’t a clue” Public perceptions of anticipatory (advance) care planning (ACP) - scoping review, public consultations and websites
• Improving compliance of the Community CNS Team, in completing NHS GG&C Anticipatory Care Plan on Clinical Portal
• Introduction and assessment of a structured specialist palliative care discharge letter
• ‘Just in Case’ medication supplied on discharge
• Learnings from a transition pilot from paediatric to adult palliative care services: during a pandemic
• No Barriers, Continuing to Care Virtually…

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Experiences of deaf people with dementia in care homes

BDA Scotland has published Deaf people with dementia and care homes in Scotland, which explores how to improve care homes for deaf people with dementia from the point of view of deaf people and from the point of view of care home providers.

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Integrating lived experiences of out-of-hours health services for people with palliative and end-of-life care needs with national datasets for people dying in Scotland in 2016: A mixed methods, multi-stage design

Bruce Mason et al, Palliative Medicine, https://doi.org/10.1177/02692163211066256

This study aimed to document the frequency and patterns of use of unscheduled healthcare by people in their last year of life and understand the experiences and perspectives of patients, families and professionals about accessing unscheduled care out-of-hours.

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SPPC Annual Conference 2022

The SPPC team is really looking forward to welcoming you back to a face-to-face conference on 30 May, at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The event will be broadly framed by exploring how a population health approach can improve people’s experiences of living with serious illness, dying and bereavement.

The full programme is being finalised with details to follow. Confirmed speakers to date are:

• Kathryn Mannix –- Award-winning author & retired palliative medicine consultant.
• Fliss Murtagh – Professor of Palliative Care, Hull York Medical School
  
• Ivor Williams - Lead for End-of-Life Care at the Institute of Global Health Innovation and Helix Centre at Imperial College London.
• Mark Evans - SG Strategic Lead for Spiritual Care, and Head of Spiritual Care & Bereavement Lead (NHS Fife).
• Kenny Steele–- Co-Chair, End of Life Care Together partnership and CEO Highland Hospice.
• Michael Loynd - Macmillan Clinical Programme Director, End of Life Care Together

In the event that COVID-19 prevents us from offering the conference on a face to face basis we will move elements of the event online, and aim to offer a partial refund. Go to the SPPC website for more information and to book a place: SPPC Conference 2022.

New ACP Film

SPPC has worked with Kirsty Boyd and Hazel White Designs to produce a new short film introducing Anticipatory Care Planning. The new film can be viewed on the NHS Inform website.

Update on Truacanta Project

Caroline Gibb, Project Manager for the Truacanta Project has written a blog providing the latest update on the project: The Truacanta Project: how we coddiwompled our way through a pandemic.

Submission of equalities consultation response

SPPC has submitted a response to the Scottish Parliament Health Committee Inquiry into Health Inequalities.

Changes to SPPC Council

We're pleased to welcome two new members to the SPPC Council:

• Rami Okasha, Chief Executive, Children's Hospices Across Scotland
• Catriona Ross, Consultant in Palliative Medicine & Clinical Director, Specialist Palliative Care NHS Lanarkshire

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Shining a light on death, dying and bereavement in Scotland

Taking place across Scotland from 2-6 May, Demystifying Death Week is about shining a light on death, dying and bereavement in Scotland. All are welcome to take part by planning activities that bring death, dying and bereavement into the limelight. This year, there is a special focus on grief in the workplace.

Get involved

Since the first death awareness week back in 2013, each May, people across Scotland organise local events giving people the chance to talk about death, dying and bereavement. All kinds of events take place, including workshops, death cafes, film nights, lunch groups, craft sessions, lectures, seminars, planning sessions and more. In recent years, many people have moved their events online. More information about holding a DD Week event is available here: Hold an event

Grief in the Workplace

DD Week will see the launch of a new suite of resources help managers, employers and colleagues create more bereavement-friendly workplaces. If you’re interested in making workplaces more compassionate places for people who are bereaved, there are lots of ways to get involved in the run up to Demystifying Death Week:

• Send us your experience of returning to work after a bereavement – we’re looking for case studies to publish on our website.
• Do you know of good resources to help employers do better at supporting bereaved staff? Please get in touch.
• Would you like to be one of the first employers to receive the new bereavement charter mark? Please get in touch to find out more.

DD Week Resources

We have lots of resources freely available that can be used for DD Week events, including films, information leaflets, event planning templates and exhibitions: Demystifying Death Week Resources

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Addressing the housing needs of people with MND

MND Scotland has published No time to lose: addressing the housing needs of people with MND, a new report calling for changes to adaptations and accessible housing processes at national and local government level to ensure people with MND get the support they need, when they need it.

Sue Ryder launches Grief Kind campaign

Grief Kind is a public-facing campaign launched by the charity Sue Ryder which aims to give people the know-how and confidence to support family, friends, and colleagues through grief. Grief Kind classes - a series of five short video tutorials in which bereavement experts discuss whether there is a normal way to grieve, how long grief lasts, and how to support others who are grieving, are a recent addition to the campaign and are available to watch on the Sue Ryder website where you can also read more about Grief Kind and find other Grief Kind resources including a celebrity podcast and Grief Kind sympathy cards.

Volunteers sought to help with ReSPECT Patient View prototype

NES is looking for five participants over the age of 60 to test the “ReSPECT Patient View” prototype, joining one hour-long remote testing session. If you can help find potential participants please get in touch with Lukasz Swigowski: lukasz.swigowski@nhs.scot

Helping those in need in the Ukraine

The International Children's Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) has published an article exploring how the palliative care community can support palliative care programmes in Ukraine.

Scottish Mesothelioma Network

The Scottish Mesothelioma Network has published the first edition of its Newsletter, with updates on mesothelioma trials and treatments, events, support groups, recruitment and more.

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SPPC Annual Conference 2022

Organised by the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care. 30 May, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. More information is available here: weblink.

Scottish Local Government Election Hustings: Dying, death and bereavement

Organised by Marie Curie and CHAS. 6 April, online. More information is available here: weblink.

Improving End of Life Care for People with Dementia during Covid-19

Organised by Healthcare Conferences UK. 25 April 2022, Online. More information is available here: weblink. (20% discount with code hcuk20sppc.)

After the last breath

Organised by Pushing up the Daisies. 27/04, 18/05. 08/06, 29/06 – all at 7pm. More information is available here: weblink.

Palliative Care Conference 2022 - Challenges in end of life care

Organised by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. Online, 29 April 2022. More information is available here: weblink.

Demystifying Death Week

Participative event initiated by Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief, taking place across Scotland, 2- 6 May. More information is available here: weblink

Bereavement in the Workplace

Organised by the Bereavement Charter Group. 3 May 2022, online. More information is available here: weblink.

Dr Kathryn Mannix and the Rt Rev Richard Holloway: Tender Conversations: how can we navigate conversations about sorrow, fear, and loss?

The Annual Malcolm Goldsmith Lecture, organised by Faith in Older People. 12 May 2022, online. More information is available here: weblink.

Decisions about Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR): Ensuring Effective & Person Centred Practice

Organised by Healthcare Conferences UK. 13 May 2022, online. More information is available here: weblink. (20% discount with code hcuk20sppc.)

Caldicott Principles & Information Sharing in End of Life Care

Organised by Healthcare Conferences UK. 17 May 2022, Online. More information is available here: weblink. (20% discount with code hcuk20sppc.)

Non Medical Prescribing in Cancer Care

Organised by Healthcare Conferences UK. 19 May 2022, Online. More information is available here: weblink. (20% discount with code hcuk20sppc.)

Music therapy in end-of-life care: Relational and community perspectives

Organised by Queen Margaret and St Columba's Hospice Care. 7 June 2022, Edinburgh. More information is available here: weblink.

Institutions and Death

Organised by the University of Bath Centre for Death and Society. Online, 9-10 June 2022. More information is available here: weblink.

Improving Adult Bereavement Care, Support & Services

Organised by Healthcare Conferences UK. 9 June 2022, online. More information is available here: weblink. (20% discount with code hcuk20sppc.)

Improving End of Life Care for people with Cardiovascular Disease & Heart Failure

Organised by Healthcare Conferences UK. 16 June 2022, Online. More information is available here: weblink. (20% discount with code hcuk20sppc.)

Effective Non Medical Prescribing in End of Life Care

Organised by Healthcare Conferences UK. 29 June 2022, Online. More information is available here: weblink. (20% discount with code hcuk20sppc.)

Caldicott Principles & Information Sharing in End of Life Care

Organised by Healthcare Conferences UK, on demand. More information is available here: weblink (20% discount with code hcuk20sppc.)

7th Public Health Palliative Care International Conference

Organised by PHPCI. 20-22 September 2022, Bruge, Belgium. More information is available here: weblink.

After the last breath

Organised by Pushing up the Daisies. 01/10, 22/10, 12/11, 03/12 – all at 11am. More information is available here: weblink.

To Absent Friends, A People's Festival of Storytelling and Remembrance

Participative event initiated by Good LIfe, Good Death, Good Grief. 1-7 November. More information is available here: weblink.

5th All Island Children's Palliative Care Conference: Communication: compassiona and common ground

17 & 18 November 2022, Belfast. More information is available here: weblink. The call for abstracts is now open.

2022 NES Bereavement Education Conference

Organised by NHS Education Scotland. Online. Thursday 24^th November 2022. More information will be available in due course.

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