Case study:

15 May 2007

Introducing the Macmillan/Open University Foundations in Palliative Care – a palliative care education pack for nursing homes to care homes, domiciliary care agencies and providers of sheltered housing

Key points

Hospices in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are helping to disseminate the Macmillan/Open University ‘Foundations in Palliative Care’ education pack to care homes, home care agencies and sheltered housing through a ‘train the trainer’ scheme.

More than 30 care home and domiciliary care providers participated in specially designed workshops, held between October 2006 and January 2007, and took the education packs away to deliver in their own organisations.

The idea for the workshops arose when several care home managers and lead nurses admitted their packs were lying unused on the shelf because they seemed too daunting.

They were enthusiastic when the SHA end of life care project lead suggested setting up workshops to help them facilitate the pack in their homes.

The programme takes a learner-centred rather than teaching approach and uses activities that draw on participants’ experience and understanding.

There are four core modules – first principles, communication, pain and symptom management and bereavement.

One or two people from a care home attend the ‘train the trainer’ workshops and then repeat the education for their own care staff.

The workshops included facilitating a section from each of the four modules as well as practical tips on how to organise the sessions in the workplace.

The hospice education teams all provided additional information for the participants and information on local health services are available at each workshop.

The Local Authority Partnership Group is commissioning similar training for 2007/08 based on the success of this project.

Each of the hospices will be providing a two-day course made up of explaining the Macmillan pack programme as well as some basic awareness training.