Basingstoke MP Maria Miller recently met Sue Martin, a specialist palliative care nurse based at St Michael’s Hospice, to hear about the North Hampshire Six Steps end of life care education and practice development programme, which Sue delivers.
With increasing pressure on health services, there is a need for care homes to be skilled in managing end of life care and enabling residents to die in their home rather than being admitted to hospital. The Six Steps Programme gives care home staff the necessary training and support to embed the organisational changes needed, including encouraging staff to initiate discussions with residents and families about end of life care. The Programme is funded by the NHS (North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group) and delivered by St Michael’s Hospice. 17 care homes in North Hampshire are now accredited with the Programme.
Maria said: “The Six Steps Programme which Sue Martin delivers is incredibly important in helping to ensure that elderly care home residents who are approaching the end of life are not admitted to hospital where this is inappropriate, and are able to spend their last days peacefully in their home. From what I have heard the Programme has been very successful in reducing admissions to hospital and improving the care of the dying in local care homes. Sue’s work has undoubtedly helped some care home staff to have more open discussions about end of life care, which we know can be a very sensitive issue to broach.”