Case study:

11 May 2010

Spiritual care assessment tool in Mount Vernon Cancer Network

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Key points

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The Mount Vernon Cancer Network (MVCN) has developed a spiritual care assessment tool for patients with cancer and other long-term conditions following a survey that showed big variations in the provision of care as well as the knowledge of staff.

The assessment tool is part of the holistic assessment aide memoir tool that has been adapted from the PEPSI-COLA tool.

It is underpinned by a spiritual referral pathway, based on the Marie Curie spirituality competencies, a spirituality service directory and a network wide education programme.

The MVCN spirituality assessment tool was launched in October 2007 and is based around three cue questions:

How do you make sense of what is happening to you?

What sources of strength do you look to when life is difficult?

Would you find it helpful to talk to someone who could help you explore the issues of spirituality/faith?

The questions, which were piloted by hospital and hospice units across Hertfordshire and South Bedfordshire, were drafted to allow the assessment to take place within the context of the total care of the individual, rather than limiting the conversation to an exploration of religious faith.

They are intended as a guideline or trigger to open a conversation about spirituality.

They are also based on the recognition that spiritual needs are likely to change with time and circumstances.

These have now been incorporated into the PEPSI-COLA Holistic Common Assessment of Supportive and Palliative Care Needs for Adults with Cancer, which all members of the site specific multidisciplinary team and district nurses carry with them.

There are a number of prompts to help practitioners decide when to employ them.

The PEPSI-COLA aide memoir also contains details of where to refer patients, if appropriate, based on a newly agreed referral pathway.

The aim of the pathway is to guide health and social care staff and designated volunteers in ensuring cancer and palliative care patients and their families have access to the most appropriate spirituality services.

It outlines four different levels of competency, based on the Marie Curie competencies, from those at level 1 who only have casual contact with patients and families to those at level 4 whose primary responsibility relates to spiritual care.

Members of the multidisciplinary team – that is, level 3 – will be expected to use the aide memoir to assess an individual’s spiritual and religious needs.

The MCVN Spirituality Steering Group has also developed a local professional services directory containing contacts of chaplains and other spiritual advisors across the network.

Details are held at the acute trust switchboard, patient information centres and local hospices.

It has also drawn up a list of key contact points that patients can be referred to and that professionals are able to access for further information.

In addition a spirituality patient fact sheet will form part of the MVCN Supportive Care Patient Information Booklet.

The fact sheet provides an explanation of what spirituality is and how patients can access spiritual support in their local area.

It is also planned to provide training for each competency level at network and locality level.

A number of network-wide half-day sessions were held last year aimed at all healthcare professionals.

The programme included a discussion around spirituality awareness and training on the PEPSI-COLA tool and assessment.

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