New resources for end of life care

Skills for Health has announced the launch of a new range of resources developed as part of the ‘Working Together, improving end of life care through better integration’ project. The project, led by Skills for Care and in partnership with Skills for Health and the National Council for Palliative Care, helped to develop these new training materials which aim to increase awareness and further understanding of the importance of professionals working together to support people at the end of their lives.

The pack, which has been released ahead of Dying Matters Awareness week (18th-24th May 2015), is the result of the project’s conclusion that people involved in delivering end of life care (EoLC) find it helpful to talk to other workers and people with the experience of using those services, as it helps them understand how they could work together to provide better care and support.

The project brought together a wide range of people from different backgrounds including professionals and people with experience of end of life care. A network of people, identified as being committed to improving end of life care and known as “champions”, were brought together in a series of workshops to explore their own experiences and discuss what mattered to them. A number of common themes emerged from these conversations, which have been translated into a set of key messages. This work has in turn formed the basis for all resources and films included within the training pack, now available to download from http://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/eolc , including;

• ‘It helps to talk’, a film looking at the importance of communication. The fictitious film is based on real-life experiences, telling the story of a person with Motor Neurone Disease who conveys her end of life wishes to her son and sister. 
• PowerPoint ready-made presentation for individuals to conduct their own training 
• ‘Practical messages for front line workers’ an interactive PDF 
• Educational project resources including Key Messages hand-out, Project Summary and Project Guidance. 

Anne Barrett, Skills for Health Associate commented: “We set out with an aim for this project to improve end of life care by encouraging people to work together in an integrated way and provide guidance to individuals in daily practice. These new resources help to extend the supportive environment and enthusiasm for best practice generated in the workshops – and put this into daily working practice. End of life care is a sensitive subject area but not one that should be ignored; the key messages that were developed will help those in the front line within every day practice provide even better care. We want patients to worry less about their health and make the most of every day, knowing that they have the support they need.”