Call for views: funding challenges faced by third sector organisations

The Scottish Parliament Social Justice and Social Security Committee are undertaking an inquiry in response to concerns about funding challenges faced by third sector organisations. The Committee wants to examine how the Scottish Government’s approach to fair and efficient funding can contribute to the continued effectiveness of the third sector.

You can read more and respond to the inquiry here. The call for views will close on 16 August 2024.

Consultation: Proposed changes to the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 (AWI Act)

This consultation seeks views on proposed changes to the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 (AWI Act). This builds on earlier AWI Act consultations, takes into account the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability, and recognises European and Supreme Court deprivation of liberty rulings in the Bournewood and Cheshire West cases.

This is the first step in a wider programme of work to reform mental health and incapacity law in Scotland over the next ten years, following the recommendations of the Scottish Mental Health Law Review.

Respond to the consultation here. The closing date is 17 October 2024.

Consultation analysis: Burial authorities, cremation authorities, and funeral directors - statutory inspection regime

Scottish Government have published an analysis report of the consultation on the proposed statutory inspection of burial authorities, cremation authorities and funeral directors in Scotland.

The purpose of this consultation was to seek views on proposals for regulations for inspection of the funeral sector in Scotland.  You can find out more and read the analysis in full here.

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The SPPC Palliative Care 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. All of the posters are available to view on the SPPC website, and each month we'll highlight a few in the the SPPC e-bulletin and blog. This month we focus on:

• EASE: The Story So Far click here
• Effect of Palliative Care Education on the Palliative Care Knowledge of Newly Qualified Medical Doctors in Nigeria click here
• End of Life Medication Administration by Scottish Ambulance Service Clinicians click here
• Evaluating anticipatory care documentation for palliative patients discharged from hospital to home at two NHS GGC sites; a large teaching hospital and a district general hospital click here
• Exploring Community Nurses’ lived experiences and perceptions of ‘preparedness’ to provide palliative and end of life care in rural Scotland: a qualitative study protocol click here
• Exploring the impact of Community Connection for those who have been Bereaved click here
• Extending Future Care Planning across Health and Social Care click here
• Generalist Palliative Medicine in NHS Tayside click here

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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James Lind Alliance priority setting survey: How can palliative and end of life care be improved?

Marie Curie is inviting people living with a serious life-limiting illness, those supporting them, or people who have been bereaved, to complete a survey to share what they think future palliative and end of life care research should focus on.

The first survey, earlier this year, identified a long list of 79 questions that people see as priorities for palliative and end of life care research. This second survey asks people to prioritise these questions. 

The survey is open until 31 August 2024. More information and the survey itself is available here.

2025 Marie Curie Research into Practice Conference - call for abstracts and spotlight sessions now open

The 2025 Marie Curie Research into Practice conference will take place the week commencing Monday 10 February. The conference is free and open for all to attend.

The call for submissions is now open. Marie Curie are inviting abstracts for short oral presentations and/or posters on research relevant to palliative and end of life care. All selected abstracts will be published in the BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care journal. This year, for the first time, conference organisers also welcome proposals for well developed one-hour spotlight sessions.

The closing date for submission is 17:00 BST on Monday 7 October 2024. More information about the conference and the call for submissions, including where to submit, can be found on Marie Curie's website. 

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SPPC Annual Conference: opportunities to exhibit

The Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care Annual Conference will take place on Wednesday 06 November 2024 at the John McIntyre Conference Centre, Pollock Halls, 18 Holyrood Park Rd, Edinburgh EH16 5AY.

Are you involved in an interesting project or in an area of work that you would like to discuss or share? Why not apply to bring a poster or exhibit at the SPPC conference?  The closing date for submissions for posters or exhibitions is Friday 27 October  More information is available here: weblink.

SPPC's annual report and accounts

SPPC has published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2023-24.  A wider range of information about SPPC’s work can be found here.

Death on the Fringe 2024

Death on the Fringe is a listing of Edinburgh Fringe Festival shows on the themes of death, dying, bereavement, caring and serious illness. You can see the listing here: 2024 : Death on the Fringe

To Absent Friends Festival (1-7 November 2024)

To Absent Friends is a people's festival of storytelling and remembrance that takes place across Scotland 1-7 November each year. The Festival exists to encourage participation. Groups, communities and organisations are welcome to plan events, and these become the To Absent Friends event programme.

Ideas and tips for event organisers

We have put together a guide to provide inspiration and information for people considering holding a To Absent Friends event: To Absent Friends: Guide to Holding an Event

Small Grants

We run a small grants scheme, providing up to £300 to support organisations participate in the festival. The deadline for applications is 2 September 2024. Find out more here: To Absent Friends Small Grants Scheme 2024

Getting ready for To Absent Friends Festival: Lunchtime Chat

Join us online on 19th August at 1pm for an informal online gathering to find out more about the festival and how to get involved. It is a chance to meet people who have been involved in the festival before, bounce ideas off each other and learn more about the small grants scheme. Email samara@palliativecarescotland.org.uk to reserve a place.

Further information and resources

You can watch two short films about the festival here: TAF films

More information and free resources are available here: TAF resources

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Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act - Guide for hospices published

Scottish Government has published a guide on what the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 means for hospice care providers. You can read the guide here.

Recordings of presentations by Scottish Government, HIS and the Care Inspectorate from Hospice UK's recent webinar on this subject are available on the patient safety pages of Hospice UK's website (scroll down to the bottom to webinar resources to find the links).

Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) Finance and and Performance 2024 

Audit Scotland have published an Account Commission briefing about Scotland's Integration Joint Boards (IJBs), reporting that community health and social care faces rising unmet need and managing the crisis is taking priority over prevention due to the multiple pressures facing the bodies providing these services.

For more information and to read the briefing in full, visit the Audit Scotland website.

Macmillan Education and Training

• The Macmillan Education and Training hub now features a newly updated introduction to Project Management e-learning. This e-learning programme covers the basics of project management. 
• New episode of The Cancer Professionals Podcast – "Advanced Care Planning: Conversations about an uncertain future".  In collaboration with UKONS, this episode delves into the topic of advance care planning, discussing its importance in ensuring patients' wishes are respected and their care is well-coordinated. Guests include Dan Monnery, palliative care consultant and Claire Cadwallader, palliative care clinical nurse specialist. (Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts).

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Healthcare Improvement Scotland webinar: Developing front door frailty services

Organised by Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Tuesday 20 August 2024, 1:00-2:15pm, online via MS Teams. 

For further information and to register, please visit the event webpage. 

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

Organised by Healthcare Conferences UK. 13 September 2024, online.

For further information and to book your place, visit the website or email frida@hc-uk.org.uk.

Supporting and Improving Communication in End of Life Care

Organised by Healthcare Conferences UK. 25 September 2024, online. 

For further information and to book your place, visit the website or email aman@hc-uk.org.uk.

Palliative Care: Looking through a different lens

Organised by Strathcarron Hospice. 2-3 September 2024, Edinburgh.

More information is available here: weblink.

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 Friends Festival

Initiated by Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief. 1-7 November across Scotland. A people's festival of storytelling and remembrance, with events organised by communities and organisations across Scotland. More information is available here: To Absent Friends festival

SPPC Annual Conference

SPPC’s annual conference will take place on Wednesday 6^th November. More information is available here: weblink

European Grief Conference 2024

Organised 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.

Hospice UK National Conference 2024

Registration is now open for the Hospice UK National Conference 2024, which runs at the SEC in Glasgow from 26th – 28th November.

This year's theme is Hospice Care for all, for now, forever. The conference programme has been guided by Hospice UK’s new five-year strategy which explores three priorities: Improving equity of access, enhancing quality care and achieving sustainability.

You can find more information and book your place on the Hospice UK website.

NES Bereavement Conference: Bereavement in the modern world: Kindness in the chaos

Organised by NHS Education for Scotland’s Bereavement Education Programme. 3 December 2024, online. 

This virtual international conference is for all those working across health and social care. More information is available here: weblink.

2025 Marie Curie Research into Practice Conference 

Organised by Marie Curie. Week commencing Monday 10 February 2025, online.

The call for abstracts is now open. The closing date is 7 October 2024. More information on the conference and the submission process is available here. 

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