Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry

A website has been launched for the official Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry. The Inquiry is investigating the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland, aiming tol establish the facts about the devolved response to the Covid-19 pandemic, in order to identify what lessons there are for the future.

Cancer strategy consultation

The Scottish Government are currently consulting on ‘Cancer strategy: draft vision, aims and priority areas’. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday 7 June 2022.

Scottish Government Engagement Events to inform the new palliative care strategy

All the scheduled engagement events in May and June to inform the development of the forthcoming palliative and end of life care strategy have been cancelled. A new timetable of events and more detailed update will be provided in due course.

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New guideline - Individuals with Substance Use Disorder

A new Scottish Palliative Care Guideline has been published: Inviduals with Substance Use Disorder.

New animation on Medical Certificate of Cause of Death

NES has launched a new short animation aimed at doctors involved in certifying deaths, entitled: ‘How to complete a paper-based Medical Certificate of Cause of Death form in Scotland’. You can view the animation on the NES Vimeo channel at: https://vimeo.com/707891717 and it is also available on the Death Certification and Video Wall pages of the Support Around Death website.

Improving carer involvement in hospital discharge

HIS has published an evidence summary and report, designed to share learning to support staff involve carers in hospital discharge:

• Involving carers in hospital discharge: an evidence summary
• Mapping carer involvement in hospital discharge in Scotland: Report

Clinical Lead Checklist - Post Child Death

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:

• No-one dies alone, Ayrshire
• Nurse-led interventions for multimorbidity: a mixed-methods systematic review
• Opening the Door: connecting the hospice
• Outdoor hospice, in-patient care – benefits to health and wellbeing
• Palliative and end of life care in Scotland’s prisons: a mixed-methods evaluation
• Palliative Care Forum: an opportunity for learning and multidisciplinary reflection

The SPPC blog is a space to share practice currently underway in Scotland. If you have practice you'd like to share, please get in touch.

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Care Inspectorate inquiry: Unpaid Carer experience

The Care Inspectorate is carrying out a national inquiry into adult unpaid carers experiences of social work and social care. As part of the inquiry, their national unpaid carer survey will be open until Friday 3 June.

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Support at the end of life: The role of hospice services across the UK

The Nuffield Trust has published Support at the end of life: The role of hospice services across the UK, a new analysis that draws on a nationwide survey of hospices conducted by Hospice UK to address a gap in understanding of the services that the hospice sector provides across the UK, including how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted those services.

Equitable Care for All Ethnicities Audit

King's College NHS is leading the first UK wide audit of self identified vs documented ethnicity. If your service would like to take part, please email Gemma Clarke on g.c.clark@leeds.ac.uk.

Marie Curie Research Grants

Marie Curie is inviting proposals for research projects that aim to provide new evidence to help understand and address issues related to financial insecurity at the end of life for all people affected by dying, death and bereavement including carers, families and friends. The call will be open to expressions of interest until 23 June 2022.

Dying in Poverty

Marie Curie has published Dying in Poverty: Exploring Poverty at the End of Life in the UK. The report considers the key findings of the Centre for Research in Social Policy’s study Poverty at the end of life in the UK in light of the broader public policy context in the UK, provides commentary on its implications for policy and gives recommendations to national and local policymakers.

The continuing relevance of total pain in the 21st Century: Call for contributors

Contributions are being sought for a Special Issue exploring the relevance of total pain in practice and research today. The submission deadline is 31 July. More information is available here: Research Topic: Total Pain in the 21st Century

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New Chair for SPPC

We are pleased to announce that Rami Okasha has been elected as the new Chair of SPPC. Rami succeeds Annabel Howell who we sincerely thank for her support and leadership in her recently completed 6-year term as SPPC Chair.

Letter to the First Minister

Prompted by comments made on the issue of assisted dying, the SPPC has written a letter to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon asking her to consider two practical steps to improve palliative care in Scotland.

Bereavement-Friendly workplaces resources

SPPC has launched a new collection of resources to make workplaces better for people who are grieving:

Scottish Bereavement-Friendly Workplaces Toolkit

This online toolkit is designed for people who want to make their workplace a supportive place for people who have been bereaved. It includes information for colleagues, managers and employers, as well as for people returning to work after a bereavement themselves. The toolkit includes links to training, resources, films, good practice guidance and bereavement support organisations.

What to do when a colleague has been bereaved

This leaflet gives some tips on the kind of things that a colleague can say or do to show support when someone is bereaved. Free hard copies can be ordered by emailing: rebecca@palliativecarescotland.org.uk

Checklist of steps to take

This checklist shows the various ways that an employer can create a supportive environment for bereaved staff.

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Inspiring Leadership Programme

Are you a registered health or social care professional or senior colleague working within Specialist Palliative Care in Scotland? Would you like to cultivate leadership qualities and develop your leadership potential? The next Inspiring Leadership Programme will start in November. Closing date for applications is 26th August.

Bereavement Charter Mark and Guide for Employers

The Scottish Bereavement Charter Group has luanched a new Bereavement Charter Mark to recognise employers who support bereaved staff. It is accompanied by a Employer's Guide to the Bereavement Charter which introduces the Bereavement Charter for Adults and Children in Scotland, and explains how employers can demonstrate their support for the Charter.

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Public talk: Bringing the Value of Death Back into Life, with Dr Seamus O’Mahoney

Organised by the University of Glasgow. 7 June 2022, 4pm, Chrichton Campus, Dumfries. More information is available here: weblink

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

Organised by St Columba's Hospice as pre-event to the European Music Therapy Conference (see below). 7 June 2022, online and face-to-face in Edinburgh. More information is available here: weblink.

The 12th European Music Therapy Conference

Organised by the British Association for Music Therapy. 8-12 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.)

Dying in Custody conference

Organised by the University of Bath.15-16 June 2022. More information is available here: weblink.

Interventional study day: Interventional Cancer Pain and Pain Managmement

Organised by West of Scotland Interventional Cancer Pain Service. 17 June, Golden Jubilee Hospital, Glasgow. More information is available here: weblink.

Open Thanatology at the Open University Inaugural Events: 16 & 17 June 2022

Organised by the Open Thanatology Research Group at the Open University. 16 June - Milton Keynes. 17 June online. More information is available here: Face-to-face event on campus in Milton Keynes on 16 June: weblink Online event on 17 June: weblink For further information, please contact Dr Joseph De Lappe: joseph.de-lappe@open.ac.uk

Marie Curie Breakfast Briefing - Dying, Death and Bereavement: Getting it Right for all of Scotland

Organised by Holyrood Communications. 22 June 2022, The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh. More information is available here: weblink.

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.

European Grief Conference: Bereavement and Grief in Europe – Emerging Perspectives & Collaborations

Organised by the Danish National Center for Grief in partnership with the Bereavement Network Europe (BNE), Aarhus University, and the Irish Hospice Foundation. 21-23 September 2023, Copenhagen, Denmark. 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.

Moving forward in palliative medicine

Organised by Strathcarron Hospice. 20-21 October, Edinburgh. 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: compassion 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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