A framework for the best end of life care planning

Source: Nursing & Residential Care, 2011, 13(3) p.137-40

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Date of publication: March 2011

Publication type: Article

In a nutshell:  The National End of Life Care Programme has published a guide to improving the care of dying people in care homes.  This article, aimed at care home managers, discusses how it can help them to optimize end of life care in their homes. It advocates a six-step pathway, provides illustrative case studies, information about quality markers, suggestions for staff training and finally, it provides sources of further information.

Length of publication: 4 pages

Some important notes: An NHS Athens password is required to access this article.  Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

Acknowledgement: BNI

National End of Life Care Programme Newsletter (Issue 29)

Source: National End of Life Care Programme

Follow this link to download the latest newsletter

Date of publication: January 2011

Publication type: Newsletter

In a nutshell: This issue of the newsletter focuses on commissioning and provides a Rough Guide to Commissioning End of Life Care along with information about the proposed content of a new guide for GP Consortia which is currently being drafted by the National Council for Palliative Care, the National End of Life Care Programme and key partners.

 Length of publication: 12 pages

A review of an out-of-hours telephone support service for palliative care patients and their families

Title: A review of an out-of-hours telephone support service for palliative care patients and their families

Source: International Journal of Palliative Nursing 16(9): 445-50

Date: September 2010

Publication Type: Article

Publication Length: 6 pages

In a nutshell: This study reports an evaluation of an out-of-hours service operating in one primary care trust in north east of England, and examinines the use of telephone support service backed up by domicillary visits by specialist palliative care nurses. Results revealed that staff, patients and carers appreciated being able to telephone the service and carers felt particularly well supported by the service staff who proactively called them on an agreed basis as part of an individualised telephone monitoring scheme.

Some important notes: Contact your local health library for a copy of this article. To find your local health follow this link.

Using prognostic indicator guidance to plan care for final stages of life

Source: Primary Health Care

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Date of publication: July 2010

Publication type: Article

In a nutshell: The author describes how clinicians and healthcare providers could improve predictions of patients needs as they near the end of their lives by using  prognostic indicator guidance.   Primary care teams along with care homes and hospitals that use this method of identification, assessment and planning find it much easier to provide top quality proactive care where it is most needed.  They also find they are better able to adhere to patients’ wishes and avert crises as well as reducing inappropriate hospital admissions and hospital deaths.

Length of publication: 4 pages.

Some important notes: This article is available in full text with an NHS Athens account.  If you do not have an NHS Athens account please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

End-of-life care: supporting independent and healthy lives.

Source: British Journal of Community Nursing, v.15(7) p341

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Date: July 2010

Publication type: Article

Publication length: 1 page

In a nutshell: This article discusses the findings of ‘Hospital Care at Home: Supporting Independent and Healthy Lives‘ . Financial savings and outcomes of EOLC Family Liaison Service introduced at Birmingham East and North in partnership with Healthcare at Home Ltd. are reported.

Some important notes: An NHS Athens password is required to access this article online. To register for an NHS Athens password follow this link.

Looking from the outside in.

Source: Nursing Standard, v. 24(47) p20-1

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Date: July 2010

Publication type: Article

Publication length: 2 pages

In a nutshell: This article discusses provision of palliative care to elderly people with dementia by a specialist nurse employed by the organisation Housing 21. Housing 21 provide residential care and support services to elderly people in London.

Some important notes: An NHS Athens password is required to access this article online. Follow this link to register for an Athens Password.

Home comfort at the end of life

Source: Community Care, July 2010 p22-3

Date: July 2010

Link to fulltext

Publication type: Article

Publication length: 2 pages

In a nutshell: This article discusses how the role of  Oxfordshire’s community matron service is enabling people to die in the place of their choice.  Financial savings have been identified following an evaluation of the 1st year in post, including a reduction in hospital admissions and the speeding up of hospital discharges.

End of life care: a rapid response hospice at home service

Source: Nursing Older People Vol. 22(4) p22-2

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Date: May 2010

Publication type: Article

In a nutshell: This article reports on a rapid response hospice at home service piloted by Sue Ryder Care. The project supported 17 patients to die in their own homes. Evaluation of the project will be shared with the local primary care trust in the hope that it will continue to fund the service. Other community-based models of end of life care that the charity has developed are outlined.

Some important notes: If you do not have an NHS Athens password, please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article.  Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

Acknowledgements: MEDLINE

End of life care for community dwelling older people with dementia: an integrated review

Source: International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Vol. 25(4) p329-37

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Date: April 2010

Publication type: Article

In a nutshell: Literature review of qualitative and quantitative research into terminal care for people with dementia living in care homes and in the community. The need for recognition that death is approaching, assessment of symptom management needs, difficulties in advance care planning and carer involvement in decision making are discussed.

Length of publication: 9 pages

Some important notes: Contact your local health library for a copy of this article. Follow this link to find your local health library.

Ensuring patient choices about dignity and place of death are respected at the end of life

Title: Ensuring patient choices about dignity and place of death are respected at the end of life

Source: Nursingtimes.net

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Date of publication: June 2010

Publication type: Web article

In a nutshell: This article examines how services must adapt in order that patients’ palliative care preferences are respected. Patient choice and dignity are priorities in providing high quality end of life care.  The article further examines some of the dilemmas nurses may face in respecting patients’ preferences about place of care and death, and looks at how services may need to change in the future to meet the needs of the increasing ageing population.

Teaching family carers about home-based palliative care: final results from a group education program.

Title:  Teaching family carers about home-based palliative care: final results from a group education program.

Source:  Journal of Pain & Symptom Management, 2009 38:2 p.299-308.

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Date of publication: August 2009

Publication type: Journal article.

In a nutshell:  Initial pilots have shown that group education programs to prepare family carers in their role of supporting a relative with advanced, noncurative cancer at home can be readily developed and are beneficial.  This article reviews a project which built on the pilot research and further examined the effectiveness of the program by evaluating the outcomes with a larger number of participants. 

The study demonstrated that a group education program was effective and went on to outline the implications for further research and practice.

Length of publication: 10 pages. 

Some important notes: “Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library

Out-of-hours palliative care provided by GP co-operatives: availability, content and effect of transferred information

Source: BMC Palliative Care 2009, 8:17

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Date of Publication: November 2009

Publication Type: Article

In a nutshell: Out-of-hours GP Care in England, Denmark and the Netherlands has been re-organised and is now provided by large scale GP co-operatives. Adequate transfer of information is necessary in order to assure continuity of care, which is of major importance in palliative care. This article examines the availability, content and effect of information transferred to GP locums in the context of out of hours palliative care.

Acknowledgement: BioMed Central

Associations between successful palliative cancer pathways and community nurse involvement

Source: BMC Palliative Care 2009, 8:18

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Date of Publication: December 2009

Publication Type: Article

In a nutshell: This article reports on research carried out in Denmark examining the associations between bereaved relatives evaluation of palliative treatment at home and 1) place of death and 2) community nurse involvement. Most terminally ill cancer patients and their relatives wish that the patient dies at home and community nurses are often the frontline worker and their involvement may be important to attaining successful palliative pathways at home.

Acknowledgement: BioMed Central

Summary Care Record: the Bury experience.

Source: European Journal of Palliative Care

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Date of Publication: May-June 2009

Publication Type: Online article

In a nutshell: This article looks at the implementation of the Summary Care Record for end-of-life care at NHS Bury PCT to replace the paper-based system of communication between patients’ GPs, consultants, district nurse services and out-of-hours care providers. Benefits to patients, GP practices and urgent care providers are discussed.

Length of Publication: 3 pages

Acknowledgements: CINAHL