Palliative and end of life care
Supporting people nearing the end of their lives to live and die well in their community.
Most people say that they would like to be cared for at home when they reach the end of their life, yet only 21% actually die at home. Improving the identification of people who could benefit from a palliative care approach, and the coordination of their care, can help to address this disparity.
Palliative care and end of life care involves providing good care to people with life limiting conditions, or whose health is in irreversible decline. All health and social care professionals have a role to play in palliative and end of life care.
Having earlier open and honest conversations with people about palliative care can help people to have improved quality of life and ensure that they receive the care that they want at the end of life, and helps staff to coordinate care and support.
Resources
- Scottish palliative care guidelines – good practice guidelines on care for individuals with life limiting illness.
- Scottish Social Services Council palliative care resources – resources to support the health and social care workforce who come into contact with people who have palliative and end of life care needs. Framework produced by SSSC and NHS Education for Scotland.
Case studies
The Community Care team (formerly Living Well in Communities) worked with Health and Social Care Partnerships to identify opportunities to test and implement improvements in the identification and care co-ordination of those who can benefit from palliative and end of life care.
The following case studies highlight key learning from our test sites:
- Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership
- Fife Health and Social Care Partnership
- Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership
- Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership - work in two care homes, Harestane Care Home (Nursing), and Craigie Care Home (Residential). Support from both the Community Care (formerly Living Well in Communities) and Focus on Dementia portfolios.
- East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership