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The content on this page is intended for health and care staff working in Gloucestershire. If you are a patient or carer, please refer back to the resources below.
Information to support patients and carers
- Planning Ahead – Planning Ahead – personalised care and support planning (nhsglos.nhs.uk)
- Provision of palliative and end of life care – Provision of palliative and end of life care (nhsglos.nhs.uk)
- Bereavement Care and Support – Bereavement Care & Support : NHS Gloucestershire ICB (nhsglos.nhs.uk)
- Support for carers – Support for carers (nhsglos.nhs.uk)
- Spiritual and wellbeing – Spiritual care & wellbeing (nhsglos.nhs.uk)
Free to order resources for health and care staff in Gloucestershire to support patient care and advice.
- Free End of Life Resources and how to order – Free End of Life Resources : NHS Gloucestershire ICB
Support for Symptom Management
Please note: Any concerns regarding a person’s condition should be discussed with the senior clinician caring for them.
- GHFT Palliative Care guidelines for healthcare professionals – Palliative care guidelines for health professionals
- Hydration and Nutrition – A leaflet resource is available to order, for patients families and carers, which answers some frequently asked questions about eating and drinking at the end of life and introduces the concept of Taste for Pleasure. This focuses on how a person can be supported to enjoy a taste of their favourite fluid when unable to eat or drink. To order, please click on the link Free End of Life Resources : NHS Gloucestershire ICB (Resource code GDH3701)
- Managing Agitation – Terminal agitation at the end of life | For professionals | Marie Curie
Recognising Deterioration and the last year of life
- Recognising dying and last days of life – Last few days of life | Pathway | Clinical Topics | G-care
- SPICT – SPICT™ is used to help identify people with deteriorating health due to life shortening conditions including frailty in older age. This means more people can benefit from a palliative care review and future care planning (advance care planning). The SPICT™ – SPICT
- SHADOW Tool – to support care home staff to identify those residents where conversations should be considered around future plans and wishes regarding their care at the end of life. SHADOW-Six-Point-Guide-tool-FINAL.pdf
Services information
Children and Young People
| James Hopkins Trust – Caring for life-limited young children | Provide nursing respite care for Gloucestershire’s life-limited and life-threatened young children |
| Together for Short Lives: Children’s Charities – Children Hospices | Working to ensure every seriously ill child and their family gets the high-quality children’s palliative and end of life care, when and where they need it. |
| CYPS > Children and Young People’s Services | A range of specialist learning disabilities, physical and mental health services for all children and young people aged under 18 who are registered with a GP in Gloucestershire. |
Adults
| Adult social care | Gloucestershire County Council | Adult social care can help people stay independent, safe and well for as long as possible. |
| Continuing Healthcare : NHS Gloucestershire ICB | Advice on eligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare |
| Dementia Adviser Gloucestershire | Alzheimer’s Society | Dementia advisers give advice and information face to face, over the telephone, by email or by post, and help with all aspects of living with dementia. |
| Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA) including Relevant Person’s Paid Representatives (RPPR) | Gloucestershire County Council | Advocates trained to support people who are not able to make certain decisions for themselves and do not have family or friends who are able to speak for them. |
| Managing Memory Together > Glos Health & Care NHS Foundation Trust | Support people who are worried about memory, people with dementia and carers of people with dementia, in Gloucestershire. |
| Integrated Urgent Care Service > Glos Health & Care NHS Foundation Trust | The Integrated Urgent Care Service for Gloucestershire includes NHS 111 – telephone and online support, a Clinical Assessment Service (CAS) giving the public and health professionals access to clinical advice and an out of hours GP service – seeing people in person either at a local hospital or in their own homes |
| Specialist Palliative Care |
The specialist palliative care team see patients who have complex symptoms, psychological, social or spiritual issue which has not responded to usual measures.Specialist palliative care advice around complex symptoms and needs can be accessed via 0300 4225370 9am-5pm, Monday – Friday & for health care professionals only via GHNHSFT switchboard 0300 4222222. Members of the public requiring support for palliative or end of life care needs out of hours should be advised to contact their district nursing team (if they are involved) or alternatively 111. |
Hospice Care Providers – Children and Young People
We do not have a children’s hospice in Gloucestershire. Depending on where the patient and their family/carers live, support is accessed in one of three adjacent counties. There are three hospice providers that can support children and young people.
- For children living in the north of Gloucestershire, there is Acorns Children’s Hospice in Worcester. Our hospices – Acorns Children’s Hospice
- For those to the east of the Gloucestershire, there is Helen & Douglas House in Oxford. Home – Helen & Douglas House
- For those in the south of the Gloucestershire, there is Charlton Farm (Children’s Hospice South West). Charlton Farm | Childrens Hospice South West
As the hospices are separate organisations their offers may vary, please contact them direct to find out more.
Hospice Care Providers – Adults
Hospice care focuses on delivering expert support to individuals with life-limiting illnesses.
In Gloucestershire our Sue Ryder hospice in Leckhampton provides inpatient care, the other providers’ work is in the community, supporting people and their families in their own homes.
Hospices are no longer a place where people are admitted for their last days of life; although this option still exists, modern hospices are now more focused on expert symptom management and maximising quality of life, as well as delivering other services such as bereavement support, well-being centres, outpatient clinics and therapy.
There are six hospice providers which support adults in Gloucestershire. The Hospices are partially funded by NHS Gloucestershire through grants and CHC fast track funded packages of care. They also rely on donations to fund their vital work. As the hospices are separate organisations their offers may vary, please contact them directly to find out more.
- Great Oaks Hospice – Healthcare Professionals – Great Oaks Hospice Provide hospice services across the Forest of Dean District from their site in Coleford.
- Sue Ryder – Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice | Sue Ryder Gloucestershire’s only inpatient unit for specialist palliative care. Care can also be provided in the person’s home, and virtual support from the day hospice and outpatient services.
- Longfield Community Hospice – OUR SERVICES – Longfield Community Hospice The key services provided include Hospice at Home, Wellbeing Centre, Counselling and Bereavement Support.
- Kate’s home nursing – Our Services – Kate’s Home Nursing | Palliative Care Charity Services offered to patients registered with GP surgeries in Stow on the Wold, Moreton in Marsh, Bourton on the Water, Northleach, Winchcombe, Rendcomb and Burford.
- Campden Home Nursing – What We Provide – Campden Home Nursing Providing a Hospice Care at Home Service and wellbeing services at Jecca’s house in Chipping Camden.
- Friends of Fairford, Covering Fairford, Lechlade and the surrounding villages – Home | Friends of Fairford and Lechlade Communities Providing health related support to the patients of two GP practices in Fairford and Lechlade.
Care after death
- After death, Medical Examiner Service and death certification- After death | General Guidance | Clinical Topics | G-care
- What to do when someone dies – What to do when someone dies: step by step – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Training and education resources
Gloucestershire Resources
- Cultural Awareness – find out more about the spiritual or cultural needs of communities Cultural Awareness
- Frailty Training and Education Framework – This document provides contacts and links to training resources available for frailty. Frailty-Training-Framework.docx
- G-Care End of life resources- End of Life / Palliative Care | Education & Training | G-care
- G care Learning Disability and end of life care resources- LD & end of life care | Pathway | Clinical Topics | G-care
- Proud to Care – supporting the independent care sector Proud to Care | Proud to Care Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire Bookable Training
| Dementia Training | Dementia Training and Education Strategy for Gloucestershire | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Mental Capacity act 2005 & Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards | Mental Capacity Act 2005 & Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Training | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Palliative and End of life care County wide offer | Contact Rachel Butler at Longfield for details on dates and how to book – rachel.butler@longfield.org.uk |
ReSPECT Training Framework
The ReSPECT process was introduced to Gloucestershire in 2019, and considerable work has been completed to provide education sessions and resources for health and care staff since its introduction.
The aim of this training framework is to provide a consistent model for the training available and to ensure that all health and care staff across the county have access to relevant, up to date resources.
It consists of three tiers as outlined in the diagram below. Please click on the link to access the training framework page. ReSPECT Training Framework : NHS Gloucestershire ICB
- G-care ReSPECT resources – ReSPECT – Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care & Treatment | Pathway | Clinical Topics | G-care
Personalised Care
- Personalised care institute – free courses for health and care professionals – Your learning options (personalisedcareinstitute.org.uk)
- What matters to you – resources to promote having meaningful conversations with individuals, as well as their families and carers. What matters to you?
Facilitating communication
- Communicating with empathy – eLfH – Communicating with Empathy – elearning for healthcare (e-lfh.org.uk) Please note: Non NHS organisations can access via an NHS OpenAthens account. If you do not hold an NHS OpenAthens account you can contact eLfH to check if you are eligible for access.
- Communication Skills Training – GHFT – Course fee applies Workshops/ Sessions/ Webinars and Courses
- Marie Curie resource- Communication needs in palliative care | For professionals | Marie Curie
Books and Podcasts
- Books to help us think about death, dying and grief – Best Books to Help Us Think About Dying, Death and Grief | Hospice UK
- Dying Matters podcast – Dying Matters Resources | Hospice UK
National Resources and links
- Alzheimer’s Society – a range of information services, resources and specialist training for health and social care professionals working with people who have dementia – For dementia professionals | Alzheimer’s Society
- Dementia UK – Information for professionals involved in dementia care and support – For professionals – Dementia UK
- E-Learning for Healthcare – Home – elearning for healthcare Please note: Non NHS organisations can access via an NHS OpenAthens account. If you do not hold an NHS OpenAthens account you can contact eLfH to check if you are eligible for access.
- Gold Standards Framework – GSF is a practical and evidence-based end of life care service improvement programme. Welcome to Gold Standards Framework
- Learning Disabilities – The Victoria and Stuart Project End of life care planning Toolkit – End Of Life Care Planning | The Victoria And Stuart Project
- Marie Curie – Palliative Care Knowledge Zone – Palliative Care Knowledge Zone | Information for professionals (mariecurie.org.uk)
- NICE guidance – All NICE products on end of life care including guidance and quality standards – End of life care | Topic | NICE
- NHS Website – Conditions A to Z – NHS
- Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines – Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines | Right Decisions
- Skills for Care – Supporting the adult social care sector – End of life care
- Spiritual care and wellbeing: information for professionals – Chaplaincy video – NHS Chaplaincy Video – Information for staff (youtube.com)
Staff Wellbeing Support
- The Wellbeing Line – confidential mental health and wellbeing support for anyone working in health and social care in Gloucestershire. The Wellbeing Line | Selfcare is not selfish.
- Bereavement Care and Support – Bereavement Care & Support : NHS Gloucestershire ICB