scholarly journals Palliative and end-of-life care in care homes: protocol for codesigning and implementing an appropriate scalable model of Needs Rounds in the UK

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e049486
Author(s):  
Aisha Macgregor ◽  
Alasdair Rutherford ◽  
Brendan McCormack ◽  
Jo Hockley ◽  
Margaret Ogden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Care Home Staff ◽  
Palliative Care Teams ◽  
The Uk

IntroductionPalliative and end-of-life care in care homes is often inadequate, despite high morbidity and mortality. Residents can experience uncontrolled symptoms, poor quality deaths and avoidable hospitalisations. Care home staff can feel unsupported to look after residents at the end of life. Approaches for improving end-of-life care are often education-focused, do not triage residents and rarely integrate clinical care. This study will adapt an evidence-based approach from Australia for the UK context called ‘Palliative Care Needs Rounds’ (Needs Rounds). Needs Rounds combine triaging, anticipatory person-centred planning, case-based education and case-conferencing; the Australian studies found that Needs Rounds reduce length of stay in hospital, and improve dying in preferred place of care, and symptoms at the end of life.Methods and analysisThis implementation science study will codesign and implement a scalable UK model of Needs Rounds. The Integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (i-PARIHS) framework will be used to identify contextual barriers and use facilitation to enable successful implementation. Six palliative care teams, working with 4–6 care homes each, will engage in two phases. In phase 1 (February 2021), stakeholder interviews (n=40) will be used to develop a programme theory to meet the primary outcome of identifying what works, for whom in what circumstances for UK Needs Rounds. Subsequently a workshop to codesign UK Needs Rounds will be run. Phase 2 (July 2021) will implement the UK model for a year. Prospective data collection will focus on secondary outcomes regarding hospitalisations, residents’ quality of death and care home staff capability of adopting a palliative approach.Ethics and disseminationFrenchay Research Ethics Committee (287447) approved the study. Findings will be disseminated to policy-makers, care home/palliative care practitioners, residents/relatives and academic audiences. An implementation package will be developed for practitioners to provide the tools and resources required to adopt UK Needs Rounds.Registration detailsRegistration details: ISRCTN15863801.

scholarly journals A qualitative comparison of care home staff and palliative care specialists’ experiences of providing end of life care to people living and dying with dementia in care homes in two countries: A focus group study

2021 ◽  
pp. 026921632110433
Author(s):  
Melanie Handley ◽  
Deborah Parker ◽  
Frances Bunn ◽  
Claire Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Care Home Staff ◽  
People With Dementia

Background: Palliative care for people with dementia dying in care homes is an important aspect of long-term care. Whilst there is consensus about the principles of palliative care, less is known about how care home staff negotiate and influence decisions around end of life and how organisational context shapes that process. Aim: To explore the views and experiences of care home staff and palliative care specialists on end of life care in care homes and understand how care home settings affected palliative care provision in England and Australia. Design/participants: Eight focus groups in Australia and England with care home staff and palliative care specialists ( n = 49). Reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken. Findings: Australian participants reported collaboration between care home staff, visiting professions and family members though case conferences. English participants discussed resident-focussed involvement from specialists that was less formally organised. Negotiating roles and responsibilities in end of life care; the importance of relationships to overcome deficiencies in formal processes; and the legitimacy and authority of advance care planning at times of crisis were recurring themes. The organisation and embedding of end of life care in processes and practices of care homes differed; this closely linked to care home procedures in Australia but was less apparent in England. Conclusion: In both countries, partnership working was recognised and valued as key to effective palliative care. Work that enables care home staff to identify challenges with visiting professionals, such as agreeing priorities for care and negotiating their shared responsibilities, may lead to context-sensitive, sustainable solutions.

scholarly journals GPs’ involvement to improve care quality in care homes in the UK: a realist review

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (20) ◽  
pp. 1-76
Author(s):  
Neil H Chadborn ◽  
Reena Devi ◽  
Christopher Williams ◽  
Kathleen Sartain ◽  
Claire Goodman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
General Practitioner ◽  
Health Services ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Life Care ◽  
The Uk

Background Organising health-care services for residents living in care homes is an important area of development in the UK and elsewhere. Medical care is provided by general practitioners in the UK, and the unique arrangement of the NHS means that general practitioners are also gatekeepers to other health services. Despite recent focus on improving health care for residents, there is a lack of knowledge about the role of general practitioners. Objectives First, to review reports of research and quality improvement (or similar change management) in care homes to explore how general practitioners have been involved. Second, to develop programme theories explaining the role of general practitioners in improvement initiatives and outcomes. Design A realist review was selected to address the complexity of integration of general practice and care homes. Setting Care homes for older people in the UK, including residential and nursing homes. Participants The focus of the literature review was the general practitioner, along with care home staff and other members of multidisciplinary teams. Alongside the literature, we interviewed general practitioners and held consultations with a Context Expert Group, including a care home representative. Interventions The primary search did not specify interventions, but captured the range of interventions reported. Secondary searches focused on medication review and end-of-life care because these interventions have described general practitioner involvement. Outcomes We sought to capture processes or indicators of good-quality care. Data sources Sources were academic databases [including MEDLINE, EMBASE™ (Elsevier, Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycInfo® (American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, USA), Web of Science™ (Clarivate Analytics, Philadelphia, PA, USA) and Cochrane Collaboration] and grey literature using Google Scholar (Google Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA). Methods Realist And Meta-narrative Evidence Syntheses: Evolving Standards (RAMESES) guidelines were followed, comprising literature scoping, interviews with general practitioners, iterative searches of academic databases and grey literature, and synthesis and development of overarching programme theories. Results Scoping indicated the distinctiveness of the health and care system in UK and, because quality improvement is context dependent, we decided to focus on UK studies because of potential problems in synthesising across diverse systems. Searches identified 73 articles, of which 43 were excluded. To summarise analysis, programme theory 1 was ‘negotiated working with general practitioners’ where other members of the multidisciplinary team led initiatives and general practitioners provided support with the parts of improvement where their skills as primary care doctors were specifically required. Negotiation enabled matching of the diverse ways of working of general practitioners with diverse care home organisations. We found evidence that this could result in improvements in prescribing and end-of-life care for residents. Programme theory 2 included national or regional programmes that included clearly specified roles for general practitioners. This provided clarity of expectation, but the role that general practitioners actually played in delivery was not clear. Limitations One reviewer screened all search results, but two reviewers conducted selection and data extraction steps. Conclusions If local quality improvement initiatives were flexible, then they could be used to negotiate to build a trusting relationship with general practitioners, with evidence from specific examples, and this could improve prescribing and end-of-life care for residents. Larger improvement programmes aimed to define working patterns and build suitable capacity in care homes, but there was little evidence about the extent of local general practitioner involvement. Future work Future work should describe the specific role, capacity and expertise of general practitioners, as well as the diversity of relationships between general practitioners and care homes. Study registration This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42019137090. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 9, No. 20. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

scholarly journals EMPOWERING CARE HOME STAFF TO DELIVER QUALITY END OF LIFE CARE: THE IMPACT OF THE SIX STEPS TO SUCCESS PROGRAMME ON END OF LIFE CARE IN CARE HOMES IN NORTH WEST ENGLAND

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. A32.2-A32
Author(s):  
Mary O'Brien ◽  
Jennifer Kirton ◽  
Katherine Knighting ◽  
Rob Gandy ◽  
Barbara Jack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Life Care ◽  
North West ◽  
Care Home Staff ◽  
The Impact

Paying for end of life care in the UK

2020 ◽  
Vol 104 (561) ◽  
pp. 495-506
Author(s):  
John Stubbs ◽  
Jacob Adetunji
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Old Age ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Financial Cost ◽  
The Uk

To live to a ripe old age, untroubled by health problems, physical or mental, is an almost universal aspiration. But most people are not so lucky and will likely be in care homes for their final years, with varying levels of disease, disability and dementia. Kinley et al [1] maintain that over a fifth of the population of developed countries die in care homes. Moreover, the financial cost of this end of life care, which is the focus of this paper, can be daunting and require much planning [2]. It was reported in 2017 that, in the UK, care home costs are rising up to twice as fast as inflation [3]. Consequently the question arises about the long term affordability of such care to those having to fund it, a question that ever more people both nationally and globally are having to confront.

scholarly journals Inpatient transfer to a care home for end-of-life care: What are the views and experiences of patients and their relatives? A systematic review and narrative synthesis of the UK literature

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 102-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tabitha Thomas ◽  
Isla Kuhn ◽  
Stephen Barclay
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Narrative Synthesis ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Common Part ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Hospice Palliative Care

Background: Transfers from hospital or ‘hospice palliative care units’ to care homes for end-of-life care are an increasingly common part of clinical practice but are a source of anxiety and distress for patients, relatives and healthcare professionals. Aim: To understand the experiences of patients discharged to care homes for end-of-life care. Design: Systematic review and narrative synthesis of the UK literature concerning inpatient transfer from a hospital or hospice palliative care unit to a care home for end-of-life care. Results: The published literature is very limited: only three papers and one conference abstract were identified, all of low quality using Gough’s weight of evidence assessment. No papers examined transfer from hospital: all were of transfers from hospices and were retrospective case note reviews. Many patients were reported to have been negative or ambivalent about moving and experienced feelings of anxiety or abandonment when transferred. Relatives were often either vehemently opposed or ambivalent. Although some came to accept transfer, others reported the transfer to have seriously affected their loved one’s quality of life and that the process of finding a care home had been traumatic. No studies investigated patients’ views prospectively, the views of staff or the processes of decision-making. Conclusion: The UK literature is very limited, despite such transfers being an increasingly common part of clinical practice and a source of concern to patients, relatives and staff alike. Further research is urgently needed in this area, especially studies of patients themselves, in order to understand their experiences and views.

scholarly journals P-198 Care home staff experiences of palliative and end-of-life care in care homes during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Izabele Batkovskyte ◽  
Lori Bourke ◽  
Clare Ellis-Smith ◽  
Anna Bone ◽  
Claire Goodman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Care Home Staff ◽  
Staff Experiences

Help Me Understand: Providing Palliative Care to Individuals With Serious Mental Illness

2021 ◽  
pp. 104990912110107
Author(s):  
Kate L. M. Hinrichs ◽  
Cindy B. Woolverton ◽  
Jordana L. Meyerson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Serious Mental Illness ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Palliative Care Teams

Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) have shortened life expectancy with increased risk of developing comorbid medical illnesses. They might have difficulty accessing care and can be lost to follow-up due to complex socioeconomic factors, placing them at greater risk of dying from chronic or undiagnosed conditions. This, in combination with stigma associated with SMI, can result in lower quality end-of-life care. Interdisciplinary palliative care teams are in a unique position to lend assistance to those with SMI given their expertise in serious illness communication, values-based care, and psychosocial support. However, palliative care teams might be unfamiliar with the hallmark features of the various SMI diagnoses. Consequently, recognizing and managing exacerbations of SMI while delivering concurrent palliative or end-of-life care can feel challenging. The goal of this narrative review is to describe the benefits of providing palliative care to individuals with SMI with concrete suggestions for communication and use of recovery-oriented language in the treatment of individuals with SMI. The salient features of 3 SMI diagnoses—Bipolar Disorders, Major Depressive Disorder, and Schizophrenia—are outlined through case examples. Recommendations for working with individuals who have SMI and other life-limiting illness are provided, including strategies to effectively manage SMI exacerbations.

scholarly journals Key Components for the Delivery of Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Care Homes in Hong Kong: A Modified Delphi Study

2022 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 667
Author(s):  
Helen Yue-Lai Chan ◽  
Cecilia Nim-Chee Chan ◽  
Chui-Wah Man ◽  
Alice Dik-Wah Chiu ◽  
Faith Chun-Fong Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Delphi Study ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Home Setting ◽  
Modified Delphi

Integrating the palliative care approach into care home service to address the complex care needs of older adults with frailty or advanced diseases has been increasingly recognized. However, such a service is underdeveloped in Hong Kong owing to socio-cultural and legal concerns. We adopted a modified Delphi study design to identify the key components for the delivery of palliative and end-of-life care in care home settings for the local context. It was an iterative staged method to assimilate views of experts in aged care, palliative care, and care home management. A multidisciplinary expert panel of 18 members consented to participate in the study. They rated their level of agreement with 61 candidate statements identified through a scoping review in two rounds of anonymous surveys. The steering group revised the statements in light of the survey findings. Eventually, the finalized list included 28 key statements concerning structure and process of care in seven domains, namely policy and infrastructure, education, assessment, symptom management, communication, care for dying patients, and family support. The findings of this study underscored concerns regarding the feasibility of statements devised at different levels of palliative care development. This list would be instrumental for regions where the development of palliative and end-of-life care services in care home setting is at an initial stage.

End of life care education to care home staff: an evaluation

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 369-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Dobie ◽  
Marlis Plumb ◽  
Sarah Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Care Education ◽  
Care Home Staff
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