Case study:

11 May 2010

Network approach to end of life care by the Pan Birmingham Palliative Care Network

Key points

The Pan Birmingham Palliative Care Network has launched an ambitious strategy to enable all residents in the area’s care homes to end their lives ‘in the place and manner of their choosing’.

The Living Well to the End of Life strategy encourages all care homes in South Staffordshire, Birmingham, Solihull and Sandwell to sign up to the new service and nominate a lead member of staff who could be a nurse, health care assistant or even secretary.

They will then be given support to implement the care delivery frameworks, make use of the network’s quality assurance tools, and introduce innovative ways of caring for people at the end of their lives.

Care homes often feel excluded from service improvement initiatives as well as public consultation, says the network.

But with this initiative they will not be expected to act alone – instead they will be ‘part of a healthcare team, working together in your area’.

The network aims to provide baseline data sets for all care homes involved in the project as well as a generic toolkit of resources, including a newsletter, palliative care reference books and syringe driver guidelines.

Staff will have access to educational DVDs and onsite training as well as pharmacological advice and phone and email assistance.

They will also be encouraged to develop a care homes support network.

Participating homes will be expected to set up a register of residents thought to be approaching their last few weeks of life and start them on the supportive care pathway.

They should also inform their GPs and enlist their help in ensuring they can die at home.

The result of implementing the strategy, say the organisers, will be a reduction in deaths in hospital as well as staff who are more confident and committed.