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End of Life Care

End of life care – have your say

End of life care – have your say

We’re working with NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to find out what people think matters most to patients approaching the end of their life and what makes a ‘good death’.

We’re looking at developing a ‘social contract’ between end of life care providers and patients, in terms of what they will do and what you will do to achieve both a full life and a dignified death.

To explore this further, the NHS has launched a Citizens Panel, which you can join by registering at the YourNHS online community  As part of the panel, you’ll be asked to provide feedback on a series of questions relating to end of life care and what makes a ‘good death’. The panel will run for five weeks and you will receive a £5 Amazon voucher for each piece of content you provide feedback on – that’s a total of £25 for taking part in all the content.

If you are interested in taking part in the end of life Citizens Panel, please register at the YourNHS online community where you can find more information about joining the Panel.

For more information or to tell us your experiences of care please get in touch.

This piece of work has now finished.

 

North East Ambulance Service staff

New specialist service for terminally ill patients

North East Ambulance Service to create dedicated end of life service

A specialist ambulance service will soon be available to ensure the wishes of terminally ill patients in the North East are respected.

The new partnership between Macmillan Cancer Support and North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS) aims to address problems which have been highlighted across the UK around the quality of care and support for patients at the end of their lives.

The Macmillan Supportive, Palliative and End of Life Service, which is believed to be the first of its kind across the north and only the second in the UK, is set to launch at the start of 2018.

Macmillan has invested £350,000 funding over a three-year period, to enable NEAS to recruit three new roles: a Macmillan Nurse Facilitator, a Macmillan Engagement Officer and an admin support role.

Working from within the operations centre at NEAS, they will be tasked with equipping ambulance staff with the specialist skills necessary to support terminally ill patients and the people around them, whether that be on an emergency 999 call, a NHS 111 call or as part of a scheduled ambulance transport service.

The dedicated Macmillan team will also work with other healthcare and social care providers throughout the north east to ensure patients’ care plans are fed into the system so their wishes can be respected throughout the process.

As well as providing better patient care, it is hoped this service will mean more patients can continue to be cared for at home and prevent unnecessary admissions to hospital.

Tina Thompson, Macmillan Partnership Manager in the North East, says: “End of life care is a major issue and it’s something Macmillan has campaigned about and called on the government to make a priority. Our research has highlighted numerous issues around the UK, such as people with cancer not being able to die at home, or not receiving adequate pain relief. These problems can be addressed when staff are given specialist care skills to provide excellent support for people at the end of their lives, and those around them. We’re really pleased to have linked up with the North East Ambulance Service and are confident this work will make a huge difference to people with cancer.”

Recruitment of the team will begin in the autumn. The new service expands on the work already undertaken to improve end of life services for North East patients, which has included a successful end of life transport scheme, which allows healthcare professionals to arrange transportation for patients to be able to die in a place of their choosing.

 

 

Money from Macmillan used to fund the new staff at NEAS has been raised thanks to donations from the public. To get involved with fundraising for Macmillan in the North East, call Macmillan’s fundraising support centre on 0300 1000 200 or email fundraising@macmillan.org.uk.

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Events

End of Life Care Northumberland

End of Life Care: Focus Group

Would you like to have a say in improving end of life care in Northumberland? We have been asked by NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to find out what is important to the residents of Northumberland when thinking about end of life care.

We would like feedback from you at our online focus group on the CCG’s ambitions for end of life care and the idea of an end of life agreement. This would outline what responsibilities and expectations care providers should have and the role of us all in helping to achieve these.

If you are interested in taking part please contact: helenb@healthwatchnorthumberland.co.uk for more information or to register for the session.

The number of places on the session are limited so let us know as soon as you can if you can join us. You’ll receive a £10 gift voucher as a thank you for taking part.

Older lady and girl gardening

End Of Life Planning Cafe

This end of life planning event is hosted by Seaton Park Medical Group with information and support from Carers Northumberland, Age UK, the Citizens Advice Bureau and Legacare. Having conversations about your end of life wishes is really important, and this is a chance to think about things like being involved in decisions about your care, access to the right services and support for those closest to you.

There will be information available on the day about advanced decisions (living will), funeral payments and bereavement services.  Admission is free.