Palliative Care Team shortlisted for national award
A project that has been adopted across Norfolk and Waveney to improve end of life care has been shortlisted for a national award.
The Palliative Care Team at NNUH has been shortlisted for the HSJ End of Life Care Award at the Patient Safety Awards 2020.
It comes after personalised end of care plans were developed by the NNUH and have been adopted across Norfolk and Waveney after becoming a beacon of best practice.
The palliative care service at the Trust has moved from being rated ‘requires improvement’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to ‘outstanding’ in less than two years.
The team have overseen a number of initiatives to improve the quality of end of life care at NNUH, including the introduction of a seven day a week palliative care service and an individual plan of care for end of life (IPOC) to guide best practice.
They have ensured that syringe drivers are always available to patients who need them and improved end of life training at the Trust.
Extra support has also being given to families with a carer passport, open visiting, glide-away beds and comfort packs so that they can stay overnight and the introduction of Butterfly Volunteers to the hospital. The changes have resulted in an improvement in national end of life audits for the Trust.
Julie Noble, Lead Nurse for Palliative Care at NNUH, said: “The whole team are really pleased about this news and surprised to be shortlisted for this national award. The Palliative Care Team has been the catalyst for these changes, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the whole Trust being involved. The Trust has invested in the team so we can cover seven days a week, have an end of life educator and make so many improvements in end of life care.”
Professor Nancy Fontaine, NNUH Chief Nurse, added: “This is an incredible achievement and is testament to the care and treatment the team deliver to our patients and families, which is second to none.”
The HSJ Patient Safety Awards are due to be held virtually later in the year.