29 June 2009
A pioneering project, which has transformed the end-of-life care for dozens of care home residents and their families, has won a coveted Care Accolades 1 award from the Scottish Social Services Council for the best partnership working in adult care services.
Two Bupa care homes in Rutherglen in Glasgow teamed up with Marie Curie Cancer Care and local GPs to raise greater awareness of palliative care and give a greater say to the wishes of the individual at the end of their lives and support to their families.
Now, there are plans to roll-out the programme further a field with 12 Bupa care homes in Scotland already in the process of introducing the approach known as the Liverpool Care Pathway.
With one in five deaths in the UK occurring in a care home, the partnership set about prioritising intensive palliative care training for all the staff at Rodgerpark and Rowantree Care Homes, and closer working with the Marie Curie nurses and local doctors.
The project has revolutionised end-of-life care and by putting the residents and their families at the heart of every decision, their feedback has also helped identify ways to further improve the palliative care service.
Liz Doogan, whose mother was a resident at Rodgerpark Care Home, said: “Bupa introduced this service just before my mother died and even in those last few weeks it made an enormous difference to her. The care, attention and understanding she received, was excellent and her every wish was attended to. We are very grateful for everything that was done for my mother.”
Liz McKeegan, the home manager at Rogerpark and Rowantree Care Homes, added: “We have always been very passionate about the end-of-life care we provide. But caring for someone at this stage of life can be incredibly challenging for the families and the carers, so we’ve always striven to constantly improve our care.
“Through this extra training programme, all our staff have benefited from the relationship we’ve built with the Marie Curie Cancer Care nurses and local doctors. We are over the moon to be recognised with this great award.”
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