Case study:

07 September 2007

Recommendations to improve palliative care services for heart failure and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in the Coast to Coast Cardiac Network

Key points

The Coast to Coast Cardiac Network, covering North/West Cumbria, County Durham, Darlington, Teesside and Hambleton and Richmondshire have produced a series of recommendations to improve palliative care services for heart failure and COPD patients and their families.

The 45 recommendations are based on a series of interviews with palliative care providers, heart failure specialists and COPD specialists, which sought to identify existing provision and service gaps.

Local action plans have now been agreed to improve services with follow-up progress reports requested in January 2008. The network is coordinating this work to aid communication, good practice and good ideas to be shared across a large geographical area.

Although the recommendations report was completed at network level, it is essential that action plans are developed and driven by local organisations, groups and teams.

In some areas it has been a challenge to find a champion to lead this process.