Tailor-made training

The Grange Centre at Bookham is a charity supporting adults with learning disabilities to lead independent and fulfilling lives by providing a combination of housing, skills training, care and social opportunities.

Following two terminal cancer diagnoses at The Grange in the preceding year, The Grange had approached Princess Alice Hospice with a request to build the confidence of its staff and the people they support when talking about death and dying. 

Training provided: 

We provided training for over 60 members of staff and people The Grange supports across eight, half-day sessions, exploring their ideas and concerns about death and bereavement.  

• Terminal Illness and bereavement for staff 
• Terminal Illness and bereavement for people who use The Grange services 

We considered the reality of dying, helping to answer some of the questions that they had not felt able to ask before, using pictures, games and even jokes.   

We also took the opportunity to learn more about the learning disability community and invited people supported by The Grange to come to The Princess Alice Hospice for a tour and workshop. They had a picnic in the grounds and made friends with the staff and volunteers working around the site. 

 Building on this relationship, we are now developing more accessible information about Princess Alice Hospice for people with learning disabilities, who might need to understand more about us. We are inviting The Grange to take part in diversity training for our staff, too.     

Feedback:

“I’m now more aware of when/where/how to talk about death and dying”

‘”Knowing the impact of the words used to talk about death and dying will make me think more in the future about how to use them when speaking and supporting people who are dying”

“The practical suggestions will help me respond more empathetically”

“I feel less inadequate and will be more forgiving of myself – death and dying is difficult to cope with”

Surbitonian Gardens is a new care home in Surbiton, Surrey, who approached the education team at Princess Alice Hospice to deliver bespoke teaching in End of Life care to all their new clinical staff prior to opening to residents.  

Training provided: 

We discussed their needs and designed a 2-day education package.  

Day 1 was for all nurses and carers and covered how to provide good end of life care including;  

• Recognising dying 
• Appreciating the changing needs of a person in the last year of life 
• Recognising the importance of planning ahead and tips on how to have these difficult conversations.  

Day 2 was for registered nurses and covered; 

• Symptom management including opioid calculations 
• Syringe pump management  
• Verification by nurse of expected death 

Feedback:

 “We were delighted with the package of training provided by PAH and honoured to have it delivered by trainers with such a wealth of experience. There was no question as to who was deliver our clinical teams End of Life training.   Our clinical team felt the training was exactly what they needed and both engaging and informative.    

The team relayed they feel confident in practice and armed with the knowledge to meet the needs of both those in need and their families during difficult times.” 

Thomasina Browne – Home Manager

halow equips young adults with learning disabilities and autism to live a life of purpose. It supports over 250 young adults across Surrey to live their best life.

As part of our passion to engage with all members of our community, we wanted to share what end of life care means at Princess Alice Hospice.

Training Provided:

Feedback:

“I have enjoyed learning how they help people. I think the PAT animals are helpful”

“The staff are wonderful, kind and positive, everyone has a smile”

Active Prospects is a charitable organisation enabling over 300 people with learning disabilities, physical and mental health needs, and autistic people each year to live full and aspiring lives.

Active Prospects reached out to Princess Alice Hospice to provide training for their experienced learning disability support staff who were keen to develop their skills and knowledge in providing better end of life care for people with a learning disability.

Training Provided:

One face to face study day that included:

• Importance of providing good, holistic end of life care​
• Recognising dying
• Non-pharmacological ways to manage common symptoms​
• Helping to plan ahead ​& have challenging conversations​
• The impact of bereavement and grief​
• The importance of self-care and resilience

Surrey County Council provides education for adult social care providers based in Surrey through their scheme called Surrey Skills Academy. 

They approached us in 2021 to deliver training in End-of-Life Care aimed at people working in a variety of roles within social care. 

Training Provided: 

We are delivering 4 full-day sessions per year.  These sessions were delivered by a mixture of Zoom and Face to Face.  

A wide range of topics including: 

• The importance of providing holistic care at the end of life 
• Planning ahead and difficult conversations 
• Recognising dying and the changing focus of care as somebody approaches the end of their life 
• Bereavement and looking after yourself 

Feedback:

“as a group we have learnt how to look after clients that have reached their end of life and how to prepare and communicate with relatives, very helpful thank you”

“Enjoyed the information about advanced care planning and different ways to look for signs of pain and ways to help manage these before resorting to medication”

“loved that it was interactive – thank you”

“have really enjoyed open conversations”

Woodstown House Care Home in Banstead, Surrey – part of the Fairlie Healthcare Group – offers 40 beds to adults living with complex neurological conditions.

Woodstown House is a great example of the relationship that can be built between a care home and the Hospice. Three members of staff successfully completed the Six Steps to Success in End of Life Care Programme in April 2023 and then commissioned our Education team to go out to the home to provide bespoke training in managing syringe pumps at the end of life and verification by nurse of expected death. Three further members of the care home team will be attending the next Six Steps course with the Hospice.

The sessions covered the rationale and use of syringe pumps in end of life care,  common medications used at the end of life​ and the procedure for a nurse verifying an expected death within the care home setting.

Training Provided:

• The legal framework governing verification of expected death, differences between verification and certification, practical procedures and safe practice
• How to set up and monitor an end-of-life care syringe pump (Mckinley T34 and Bodyguard pump)
• Troubleshooting for problems encountered whilst administering drugs via the syringe pump

Feedback:

“I’m going to safely and effectively administer medication [now] through the syringe pump”

“Very informative session”

“A perfect course”

“It was perfect. I will use this knowledge in managing my patients better”

“The training was insightful. I will apply the knowledge gained all the time”

Skyline Home Care Services Ltd  is a family run agency registered by the Care Quality Commission and provides home care services in Surrey.

The Registered Manager of the Care agency asked for two face to face bespoke sessions for their care staff who are looking after clients who are at or approaching the end of life and are being cared for in their own homes.

Training Provided:

The sessions covered how to recognise when a client is approaching the end of their life​ and who to call for advice, having conversations about end of life with clients​ and their families within the boundaries of their role, how to provide appropriate care for a client during the last weeks / days / hours of their life​ and after they have died and how the carers can care for themselves and their own wellbeing.

Feedback:

“I will use the knowledge gained by giving my clients the best support needed during end of life”

“I will use in my everyday practice by being confident enough to care for the dying and taking it as a natural occurrence which all of us have to go through irrespectively”.

Surrey Downs Health & Care Partnership is an innovative partnership between local NHS organisations to provide adult community health services in Surrey Downs.

We were asked to provide two bespoke courses.

Course One

The Quality in Care Homes (QICH) team in Surrey Downs recognised the need for training in advance care planning and communication skills in 4 care homes in the Surrey Downs care area and we provided two face to face courses at a location of their choosing.

Training Provided:

The sessions included examining the differing types of advance care planning and how to have difficult conversations with residents and families as the resident approaches the end of their life. Case studies examined what to do in a crisis situation when a resident is at the end of life, including the support that is available in the community for care home staff to gain advice from and the sessions were were a valuable networking opportunity for the care homes that took part.

Course Two

We were asked to provide two sessions for community staff, including nurses, care support workers and allied health professionals working within three community hospitals in the Surrey Downs Health and Care area.

Training Provided:

The sessions covered differentiating between potentially reversible conditions at the end of life and recognising when a patient is experiencing the symptoms of normal dying​ using nationally recognised tools, identifying the importance of identifying the patient’s wishes for the end of their life​ and communicating wishes or escalating concerns to healthcare professionals​

Feedback:

“This has given me lots to think about and will have a real impact on my day to day interactions with patients and their families”

“Really informative session”

“Will ensure a patient has their wishes in place”

“The knowledge gained will be very helpful when supporting palliative care patients on my ward”

Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust provides community care in the London borough of Richmond, and works in partnership with Your Healthcare who provide community care in Kingston. They also provide a full range of acute services at Kingston Hospital, and short-stay rehabilitation at Teddington Memorial Hospital.