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Welcome to Update, a monthly round-up of news relevant to palliative care in Scotland, brought to you by the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care. |
Policy |
Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill Liam McArthur MSP has introduced the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill. The proposal is to allow terminally ill adults in Scotland, who are eligible, to lawfully request, and be provided with, assistance by health professionals to end their own life. The SPPC has produced a brief summarising key features of the bill. SPPC has also updated its briefing of the parliamentary process may become law, and how that process might be influenced. You can access these documents here:
Proposed Right to Palliative Care (Scotland) Bill A proposal for a Members Bill for a right to palliative care has been launched, led by Miles Briggs MSP, with cross-party support from Bob Doris MSP and Rhoda Grant MSP. A public consultation on the proposal is open until 4 June 2024. There is more information on Scottish Parliament and Marie Curie websites, including a short guide to support you to respond to the consultation. National Care Service (NCS) (Scotland) Bill: Scottish Government Response to Stage 1 Report The Scottish Government has responded to the points and recommendations made by the Scottish Parliament Health, Social Care and Sport Committee in their Stage 1 Report on the National Care Service Scotland Bill. Their response can be viewed here: National Care Service (NCS) (Scotland) Bill: Scottish Government Response to Stage 1 Report The response to Recommendation 2 refers to palliative and end of life care, including the following paragraph: "It is the Scottish Government’s intention that section 1(c) of the Bill reflects the ambition of the Independent Review of Adult Social Care’s recommendation to “shift away from crisis being the entry point to the system of social care support to a system that values prevention and early intervention.” However, we note the concerns from organisations that provided evidence to the Committee that the framing of section 1(c) could be misinterpreted as a deprioritisation of continuing, palliative or end of life care and fail to recognise ongoing care support as essential in enabling people to live an independent life the way that they want. We will continue to engage with stakeholders in relation to this, and consider how this can be best reflected in the principles." |
Practice |
End of life care: improving DNACPR conversations for everyone The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has published a report calling for urgent improvements to the process and communication surrounding do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR), so doctors, patients, and their loved ones can make informed choices about their care. Read the report in full here. |
Academic and Research |
Abstract submission - European Grief Conference The abstract submission date for this conference has been extended to 19 April. You can submit here. The conference will take place in Dublin 11-13 November 2024. Registration for the conference is now open here. Find out more at the conference website. |
Demystifying Death Week |
Take part in Demystifying Death Week Demystifying Death Week (6-12 May) is about shining a light on death, dying and bereavement in Scotland. If you're interested in getting involved, please check out the Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief website for more information on how to hold an event. Resources available to support people participate include: Guides for event organisers: a series of guides to support people to design and hold Demystifying Death Week events: Designing your event; Facilitation skills; Event Ideas: templates and activities; Hosting an online event: hints and tips. These are all available here: DD Week Guides for Event Organisers
It Takes A Village exhibition: It Takes a Village is a powerful series of portraits and personal stories exploring the idea that as people’s health deteriorates, care and support comes in many guises. We have a limited number of copies of the exhibition available to lend out. If you would like to provide a venue to host the exhibition, please get in touch.
Origami game: a mini-future care planning prompt.... in the form of a small origami game. More information about the game and how to download it is available here: Origami game Conversation menu: The Dining with Death conversation menu is designed to act as an ice-breaker to give people inspiration and permission to talk about death-related matters. It can be used flexibly, across different types of events and different audiences. Books: Information about holding a book club, alongside a list of books on the theme of death, dying and loss is available here: book club. All of these resources are available on the Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief website here: Information and resources for event organisers |
SPPC News |
SPPC Palliative Care Poster Parade The 2024 Palliative Care Poster Parade Event took place on 26 March. The Poster Parade is an online collection of posters showcasing best practice and new initiatives to improve experiences of living with serious illness, dying and bereavement in Scotland and further afield. You can view all the posters here. Derek Doyle Poster Prizewinners Each year, the Derek Doyle Poster Prize is awarded to the poster that gets the most public votes in the SPPC Poster Parade. Congratulations to Kate McCusker, Katie Brown and Kirsty Stevenson at CHAS for winning the 2024 Derek Doyle Poster Prize for their poster Growing up in palliative care – is there a prescription for transition? Lorraine McPherson, Ashleigh Ward, Sarah Miller and Rachel Green of NHS Forth Valley won 2nd prize for their poster More Than the Last Breath. Anna Ludwig of Kilbryde Hospice won 3rd prize for her poster Greetin' for a wee bawbee: Embracing Scottish Heritage within Music Therapy in a Palliative Care Setting. New Demystifying Death Week Guide Demystifying Death Week: Designing your event is a new guide to help you design an impactful event for Demystifying Death Week. It gives examples of potential event formats and issues for consideration. This is the latest in a series of Demystifying Death Week guides, which have been updated this year:
All of these guides can be accessed free of charge on our website: Demystifying Death Week Guides for Event Organisers Truacanta: Scotland's Compassionate Communities Network - Networking Event A networking event for Truacanta: Scotland's Compassionate Communities Network will be held on Wednesday 29 May from 10:30-12:00, via Zoom. This will be an opportunity to meet others involved in compassionate community activity in Scotland and to share your stories, successes, challenges and plans for the future. Registration is via this link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join the event. |
Other News |
Macmillan Education and Training Updates
Episode 3 (new) - Working together towards inclusive cancer care for the LGBTIQ+ community. An enlightening conversation with Stewart O’Callaghan, founder and CEO of OUTpatients, the UK’s only LGBTIQ+ cancer charity and explore some of the challenges and barriers in cancer care that are faced by the LGBTIQ+ community, such as the intersection of cancer care, identity and advocacy. Stewart shares personal anecdotes and experiences which highlight the importance of personalised care to create safety and inclusion in healthcare. We learn from Stewart about the steps we can take to help overcome these barriers, keep up momentum and inspire change. |
Courses and Events |
Being Ready training days: "Trans and gender diverse experiences of dying, death and bereavement"Organised by the Being Ready Project and GIRES. Day-long training sessions for health and social care, bereavement, and funeral professionals led by Ash Hayhurst and Angie McLachlan. Email being.ready@gires.org.uk with any questions about the training. For a list of dates and locations, check out the Being Ready website. Microcredential course: "End of Life Challenges and Palliative Care"Organised by The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow. Ten-week online part time microcredential course beginning 15 April 2024. For more information and to register, visit the FutureLearn course webpage. Living Well Dying Well Death Doula Foundation Course in DumfriesOrganised by Living Well Dying Well Training. 16, 17, 18 April and 4 and 5 June, Shambellie House, New Abbey, Dumfries. The code for this course is DFF24-9. For more information and to book, please visit the LWDW website. Free Webinar: "Migrants and healthcare: views from the frontline of serious and terminal illness"Organised by the Marie Curie-funded Financial Insecurity Project. 24 April 2024, 2:00-4:30pm, online via Teams. Please register here. If you have any questions, you can contact the research team at financialinsecurity@stir.ac.uk. Respite care for Children with Complex Neurodisability (save the date)Organised by Children'st Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS). Edinburgh, 25 April. Find out more in this preliminary flyer. Current Issues in Palliative Care (CIPC) ConferenceOrganised by MA Healthcare. Thursday 25 April 2024, America Square Conference Centre, London. For more information, visit the conference website. 6th All Island Children’s Palliative Care Conference: "Challenging the Boundaries: Antenatal to Adulthood"Organised by the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC). 25 – 26 April 2024. The Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise, County Laois, Ireland. To view the programme, submit an abstract, or register, visit the CPCC website. NES Annual Virtual Conference 2024: "Developing a Compassionate, Skilled and Sustainable Workforce Through Innovative Education and Technology"The NES Annual Virtual Conference will take place Thursday 25 - Friday 26 April 2024. Find out more at the conference website. Palliative Arts No. 17 Talks: "Musical Synergy: An exploration of collaborative approaches with orchestras in children’s hospices" by Victoria KamminOrganised by St Columba's Hospice Palliative Arts No. 17 Talks. Friday, 26 April 2024, 6pm. Hybrid event taking place at No.17 Boswall Road, Edinburgh and online via Zoom. For more information and to book your place, please visit the event webpage. Employer Seminar: "Supporting Employees through Bereavement"Organised by the group behind the Bereavement Charter for Children & Adults in Scotland, in collaboration with Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief. 30 April 2024, Edinburgh. Book your place here: https://scottishcare.org/event/employer-seminar-supporting-employees-through-bereavement/ Palliative Care Research Forum Northern Ireland (PCRF NI) Conference: "Palliative Care & Psychiatry"Organised by Palliative Care Research Forum Northern Ireland (PCRF NI), 31 May 2024, Queen’s University Belfast, 9am – 2pm. Professor Harvey Chochinov will be the keynote speaker at this conference which brings together the disciplines of palliative care and psychiatry. Registration is via this form. For further information, please email Dr Esther Beck at e.beck@ulster.ac.uk and see the conference flyer here. Call for abstracts is open until Monday 15 April 2024, for further information see here. Demystifying Death WeekOrganised by Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief. 6-12 May across Scotland. More information is avialable here: Demystifying Death Week 8th Public Health Palliative Care International Conference: "Building Bridges Between Science and People"Organised by PHPCI International. 22-25 October, Bern, Switzerland. Find out more at the conference website. To Absent FriendsOrganised by Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief. 1-7 November across Scotland. A people's festival of storytelling and remembrance, initiated by Good LIfe, Good Death, Good Grief. More information is available here: To Absent Friends festival SPPC Annual ConferenceSPPC’s annual conference will take place on Wednesday 6th November. We hope to see you there! Watch this space for further details. European Grief Conference 2024Organised by the Irish Hospice Foundation with partners Bereavement Network Europe, Danish National Center for Grief and RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dublin, Ireland, 11-13 November 2024. Registration for the conference is now open here. Find out more at the conference website. |
Information leaflets: twelve different leaflets that provide information relating to death, dying and bereavement. Hard copies can be ordered, or you can download the leaflets directly from our website. A full list and further information is available here: 
Films: short films on the subjects of illness, death and bereavement can be useful as discussion prompts and educational tools: |
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