Trust Improving support in the last days of life

The Southern Health and Social Care Trust has launched a pilot programme to support hospital staff document care for patients who are in the last days of life.

The aim is to ensure each patient’s comfort, personal needs and family support are clearly recorded and understood by the whole care team.

The pilot is underway on Ward 2 North at Craigavon Area Hospital. Staff are using their expertise to record person-centered care on the new electronic care record. Feedback from ward doctors and nurses will shape and refine the process.

This work supports a key recommendation from the recent Northern Ireland Assembly Health Committee’s Access to Palliative Care Services inquiry report, which called for a regional approach to documenting care in the last days of life.

Representatives from the Department of Health and the NI Assembly Health Committee visited the hospital to see a demonstration of the new approach in the hospital’s Simulation Suite.

Dr Andrea Green, Respiratory Consultant with the Southern Trust, said:

“Our nurses and doctors in 2 North Respiratory have extensive experience in caring for people in their last days. We recognise the importance of those emotional and challenging final days for patients and their loved ones. This pilot will help ensure every patient receives compassionate, personalised care, and that their wishes and comfort are clearly recorded for the whole care team.”

Dr Sarah Cousins, Palliative Medicine Consultant with the Southern Trust, said:

“While many people tell us they would prefer to die at home, hospital remains the most common place of death for a range of reasons. As ward doctors and nurses, it is a privilege to care for people when dying at home is not possible, and we want to ensure those last days are as personal and individual as possible.”

Debbie Burns, Director of Operations, Adult Community and Acute Services, said:

“This pilot shows our commitment to putting patients at the centre of everything we do and is in line with our Vision and Strategy 2030 to deliver safe, high-quality, person-centred care across the Southern Trust.”