NHS Nottingham City, NHS Nottinghamshire County, Bassetlaw PCT and their respective Local Authorities
The Nottinghamshire End-of-Life Care Pathway provides consistent quality of care and access to services for patients in the last 12 months of life and their carers.
Set up in 2008 across NHS Nottingham City, NHS Nottinghamshire County, Bassetlaw PCT and their respective Local Authorities, the pathway was successful in changing the way clinical care was delivered. However, findings from a 2009 Nottingham University study[1] concluded that, despite patients and carers having an in-depth understanding of end-of-life care; their understanding of existing possibilities for more personalised care was more limited:
“But people don’t have choice do they? Not as far as I know…have never heard of planning end-of-life care that you mention”
In response, a group overseen by a carer representative, created a publication for patients and the public that aimed to:
- Empower patients and carers to initiate open discussions about death and dying by breaking down existing taboos and making it easier to make informed choices and plans for their end-of-life care
- Promote access to local voluntary, health and social care services
- Address all stakeholders’ needs while being sensitive to the issues and challenges faced by end-of-life patients and their carers.
We engaged in ongoing consultation with public and patient stakeholders on the appropriateness of the style and content of the document.
Professionals from many different specialties came together to see end-of-life care is everybody’s business. Previously, it was considered to be the remit of palliative care professionals. Patients and carers now also know what to expect or what to do at a given point on the pathway.
Contact: Aimee Baugh, Commissioning Officer on 0115 8839278 or aimee.baugh@nottinghamcity.nhs.uk
[1] “Exploring end-of-life care issues with older people and their carers”
