Clinical nurse specialists hailed for role in providing palliative care training

Senior nurses have praised the role of specialist palliative care (SPC) teams in providing education and training on end of life care for staff in care home and community settings.

Dee Sissons, director of nursing at Marie Curie, and Claire Henry, chief executive of the National Council for Palliative Care, were responding to Public Health England’s report on its survey of palliative care in England.

Of the 108 specialist providers surveyed, 72% were specifically commissioned to provide palliative care support in care homes, while the other 28% were providing ‘at home’ SPC that included people living in care homes as a usual place of residence.

Staff turnover

Several said they used clinical nurse specialists to support care home and social care staff, helping them to acquire new skills and knowledge.

While 84% of those surveyed said they provided education or training to care homes, the report found a need to reinforce learning across the sector.

High turnover of staff was a big obstacle to improving end of life care in care homes, affecting continuity of care and uptake of training.

Dedicated resource

Palliative care nurse Ms Sissons said: ‘We have a number of specialist teams in care homes supporting the education and training of staff who work there.

‘Nurses need to look at how they are delivering learning and development to ensure it meets the needs of care homes and social care services in relation to their ever-changing workforce.

‘There needs to a be a dedicated resource for them to call on, as well as time to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to support patients with their individual needs.’

Help and advice

NCPC head Ms Henry is also director of improvement and transformation at Hospice UK, and both organisations were involved in compiling the report.

She said: ‘For me it (the report) is all about how partnerships between care home staff are paying dividends.

‘It can be a challenge for care homes to provide access to e-learning, so having specialist palliative care teams allows them to mix it with face-to-face education.

‘Staff find it easier to ask for help and advice when specialist palliative care staff are on site in person with them.’

According to the report’s research, 22% of deaths in England take place in a care home or nursing home.

Further information:

• Results of a national survey of support to adult care homes in England: A specialist palliative care provider perspective

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