Parliamentary Question

S6W-09578: To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with the development of a new national strategy for palliative and end of life care, including the expected timeframe for the publication of the strategy.

Asked by: Liam McArthur, Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats Date lodged: 4 July 2022

Answered by Maree Todd on 14th July: The Scottish Government is committed to developing a new Palliative and End of Life Care Strategy that takes a whole system, public health approach to achieve the very highest standards of care right up to the end of life, and ensure that everyone who needs it can access seamless, timely and high quality palliative care. We are currently taking stock of the leadership, resources and partnerships we need to deliver this.

We will continue to plan a series of engagement events with partners across the sector to think strategically about improvements and priorities across the wide range of services and support. This will contribute to a holistic, integrated and multi-disciplinary approach which will ensure access to palliative and end of life care wherever and whenever it is needed, and which has the person and their families and carers at the centre. Development of the strategy is likely to continue into 2023 to enable meaningful engagement and ensure alignment with the development of the National Care Service.

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NES Bereavement Conference: Poster Abstract Submissions

The NES Bereavement Conference will take place online on Thursday 24 November. They welcome submissions of posters covering any aspect of innovation and creativity leading to improved outcomes for those who are bereaved. These may include aspects of education, service delivery and quality improvement relevant across a wide spectrum of bereavement related situations. They are also happy to accept work that has already been presented at other events. The deadline for submission is Friday 20 September. More information is availabe here: weblink.

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:

• Wellbeing your way
• Where to go when home is not possible? Place of care for people under 65 in their last months of life
• Who’s the expert? Creating public education about death that recognises, mobilises and develops the knowledge that exists within communities
• “You aren't expected to do this on your own” An exploration of virtual loss, grief and bereavement training for education and health staff during a pandemic

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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Men's perspectives of caring for a female partner with cancer: A longitudinal narrative study

Jenny Young, Austyn Snowden, Richard G. Kyle, Rosie Stenhouse

This study sought to understand the experiences of men who are caring for a female partner with cancer. Longitudinal narrative interviews were conducted with eight men in the UK from 2018 to 2019 and analysed using a structural and performance approach to narrative analysis. This study highlights the way that men perform and reflect on their negotiation with masculine discourses while supporting their partner, with implications for policy, research and practice. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hsc.13956

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Call for abstracts now open - Marie Curie 2023 ‘Improving End of Life for All’ Research Conference

Marie Curie are inviting abstracts for short oral presentations and posters on research in palliative and end of life care. All abstracts that are selected will be published in the BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care journal. The deadline for submission is 5pm on Monday 10 October 2022. The conference will take place virtually from Monday 6 to Friday 10 February 2023 and will be free for all to attend. More information about the call for abstracts and the conference can be found on the website.

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Poster Parade 2022: call for abstracts

Following on from the success of last year's virtual Poster Parade, this year we are running a virtual poster display and competition this autumn. Are you involved in an interesting project or in an area of work that you would like to promote and showcase? If so, why not present your work at our virtual poster exhibition? This is a great opportunity to share your learning and tell others about your work.

The deadline for abstract submission is Friday 9 September. More information about how to take part in the Poster Parade and submit an abstract is available here: Poster Parade 2022: Call for Abstracts

Small grants scheme: To Absent Friends

We have now launched our small grants scheme for this year's To Absent Friends festival of storytelling and remembrance, which runs from 1-7 November 2022. Grants of up to £300 are available to suppor organisations to undertake local activities that provide public opportunities for storytelling and/or remembrance of people who have died. Any organisation in Scotland with a bank account can apply for a grant. We would encourage applications from charities, community groups, care homes, NHS organisations, small businesses, prisons, arts organisations, schools, education institutions and more.

Full details are available here.

Caring, dying and grieving: encouraging and supporting action in communities

Thursday 1 December, Centre, Glasgow.

Good Life, Good Death Good Grief is organising an event exploring how to give people in Scotland opportunities, skills, and confidence to support people who are caring, dying or grieving. The event will explore:

It is a chance to learn more about these issues, to share the work you’re doing, and explore the current challenges, potential solutions and opportunities for collaboration that exist within Scotland.

The event is designed for anyone interested in this field, whether professionally, personally or in a volunteer capacity. We're keen to welcome volunteers, community members, social care staff, nurses, doctors, funeral directors, death doulas, academics, policy workers, community development practitioners and more.

A programme will be published shortly. More information and booking is available here: Winter Event

New Member of Staff

We're delighted to welcome Samara Leibner to the SPPC team. Samara is Project Assistant for Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief, supporting projects such as the Truacanta Project, EASE and To Absent Friends.

Scottish Mental Health Law review

The SPPC has submitted a response to the Scottish Mental Health Law Review.

SPPC Conference 2022

Speaker presentations from the SPPC conference are now available on the SPPC website.

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Scottish Bereavement Summit

Thursday 13th October, 9.30-1pm, on Zoom

The Bereavement Summit is being organised by a collaboration of people and organisations working to improve experiences of bereavement in Scotland. The event will bring together professionals working across the bereavement sector in Scotland to focus on ‘what next?’ – how can we move forward together to improve people's of bereavement in Scotland?

A programme for the event will be published in the coming weeks, and will include a presentation by Kevin Stewart, Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care, brief updates on some key developments affecting bereavement support in Scotland, and opportunities for delegates to share their thoughts and suggestions on how to make change happen.

Book your free place here: Bereavement Summit information and bookings

Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry: Applications for Core Participants now open

Applications for Core Participants in the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry are now open. A Core Participant can be an individual, group or organisation which can make statements at the Inquiry’s public hearings, and propose questions for Counsel to the Inquiry to ask witnesses. The deadline for applications is Friday 16th September. Find out more and apply here.

Survey - Care and support for dying at home; 1952-2022

Marie Curie and the Queen’s Nursing Institute have partnered to follow up on a seminal report which highlighted areas of profound need in end-of-life care in 1952, which was the precursor to the provision of hospice and overnight care in people’s homes. To better understand what care is available for people dying at home in the UK, and how this care is impacted by issues prevalent today, they would like to hear from health and social care professionals, social workers, benefits advisors, faith leaders, doulas, and community and advocacy organisations. Access the survey here: Care and Support for Dying at Home.

WellChild Awards

Congratulations to Evelyn Rodger, Diana Children’s Nurse with Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) who recently won the Nurse Award at the WellChild Awards. Congratulations to Pat Carragher, recently retired Medical Director at CHAS, who won the Legacy Award at the WellChild Awards.

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Children with life-limiting conditions - communicating with families

Organised by CBUK. 6 September 2022, online. More information is available here: weblink.

Supporting the development of a National Centre for Remote & Rural Health & Social care

Organised by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and the Remote and Rural Healthcare Educational Alliance (RRHEAL). 19 - 30 September 2022. Various Venues, Portree, Isle of Skye. More information is available here: weblink.

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.

2nd Annual Scottish Bereavement Network: Recovery, Remembering and Moving Forward Together

Organised by the Scottish Bereavement Network. 4 October, Falkirk. For more information or to book a place contact Eileen on: eileen.moulton@childbereavementuk.org

Scottish Bereavement Summit

Organised by a collaboration of organisations. 13 October, online. 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.

Hospice UK National Conference

22-24 November, Glasgow. More information is available here: weblink

2022 NES Bereavement Education Conference: Exploring bereavement from a new perspective

Organised by NHS Education Scotland. Online. Thursday 24 November 2022. More information is available here: weblink.

Caring, dying and grieving: encouraging and supporting action in communities

Organised by Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief. Thursday 1 December, Renfield Centre, Glasgow.

More information and booking is available here: Caring, dying and grieving: encouraging and supporting action in communities

Marie Curie Research Conference: Improving End of Life Care for All

Organised by Marie Curie. Online, Monday 6 February – Friday 10 February 2023. More information is available here: weblink.

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