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TIER 2 APPROVED
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust’s (UHMBT) work to enhance the quality of care offered to people approaching the end of their life earned them recognition at the Health Service Journal Awards 2015.
The work included training, improvements in bereavement care, development of an electronic clinical data capture form and implementation of Gold Standards Framework (GSF).
Training for end of life care was introduced and is available to all employees, and proactive public awareness work has been undertaken including ‘dying matters’ events.
Patient and carer experience of supportive and bereavement care is reviewed and monitored. A ‘supportive care postal survey’ is sent to patients and bereavement surveys are offered following a death in hospital.
Historically a patient’s potential life expectancy was not considered until death approached, but staff now use the ‘advance care planning guidance tool’ developed to support decision making and identification of care needs.
Trust staff have embraced the GSF to enhance the care they deliver to their patients, relatives and carers and the work to ‘Improve End of Life and Bereavement Care’ was shortlisted in the Compassionate Patient Care category of the HSJ Awards 2015.
