One of the Four Standards for End-of-Life Care in Hospitals requires that ‘Staff are supported through training and development to ensure they are competent and compassionate in carrying out their roles in end-of-life care’. Competence and compassion are ‘two sides of the same coin’ and, given the profound as well as the practical nature of end-of-life care, it is important that we value personal as well as professional development.  President McAleese’s advice is useful.  ‘In introducing these Standards we must be mindful not just of seeing the person in the patient but also of seeing the person, and the future patient, in the professional’.

‘What Happens Next?’ is a question often asked of staff by patients and relatives.  In end-of-life care it can also be a question asked by staff.  The ability to answer  this question can depend on the extent to which end-of-life care, and related issues, have been thought through at senior management and at ward / unit level.  End-of-Life Care is best organised through a simple framework which prompts people at various stages to think ahead, so that today’s unanswered questions do not become tomorrow’s difficult problems.   Whether it is anticipating a death and having staff prepared, or ensuring that the plan to implement the Quality Standards for End-of-Life Care in Hospitals is on the agenda of the management team, planning and coordination is central to the process of developing hospice friendly hospitals

Analysis from the National Audit reveals that three aspects of the physical environment have an influence on care outcomes at the end of life. The first is whether the patient died in a single or multi-occupancy room, the second relates to the physical characteristics of the room or ward where the patient spent most of the last week of his or her life, and the third is the standard of the mortuary facility.  Single rooms, in particular, have the capacity to substantially improve care outcomes at the end of life.  The opportunity to die in peaceful and dignified surroundings, accompanied by family and friends, is not often enough available in Irish hospitals.

The HFH Programme has developed  An Ethical Framework for End-of-Life Care – consisting of 8 modules of learning. This Framework aims to support health professionals and hospital staff to become more informed, confident and collaborative in addressing the ethical and legal challenges that arise in the treatment and care of dying patients and their families.

Study Sessions
The 8 modules of the framework as one-hour workshops for health professionals. > More