Improving End of Life Care in Rest and Care Homes

Rest and care homes across Central Lancashire are taking part in the 6 Steps To Success education programme and, thanks to St Catherine’s Hospice, say it’s helping them to vastly improve the quality of end of life care for their residents.
St Catherine’s Hospice was commissioned by the Lancashire and South Cumbria End of Life Network in 2011 to deliver the 6 Steps to Success End Of Life Care Programme to over a hundred rest and care homes in the region. The programme features a series of workshops and one-to-one sessions that take delegates through how to improve their communication skills, initiate discussions and implement planning tools as the end of life is approaching. It also highlights best practice in delivering high quality care before and after death.
Katherine Laxton, Senior Carer at Bethany House says “since starting the programme we’ve been thinking about planning ahead and involving families a lot more by using the tools we’ve been given like the Preferred Priorities of Care document. It’s given me the confidence to open the conversation with residents and their families. Sometimes people have particular wishes for their funeral but how can they be fulfilled if it’s not talked about? It’s really satisfying to know that I’m making difference in this way.”
The aim of the programme is to empower staff to provide high quality end of life care to residents and their families and, to enable people to die in their preferred place avoiding unnecessary hospital admission.
Jennifer Grant, Deputy Manager at Aarondale Care Centre says that it’s really highlighted their role in bereavement support. “We’re now supporting families after the death of a loved one as well. We didn’t really get involved with this before coming on the programme but all it takes is sitting down and having a coffee with someone from time to time. It’s just the simple things like making a phone call or giving someone an opportunity to come back to the place their relative had called home for a while.”
St Catherine’s Hospice is currently recruiting for a second group of homes for the 6 Steps To Success End Of Life Care Programme. If you are a manager or a senior member of the team at a rest or care home in Central Lancashire please email education@stcatherines.co.uk or call the education department on 01772 629171 to register your interest.

“It’s definitely beneficial, it’s about improving your service to your residents and giving a really high standard of care.” – Jennifer Grant, Aarondale Care Centre

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