We would like to say thank you to everyone who attended the event. We were proud to be in the company of others who are passionate about palliative/end of life care in Brent. Your valuable feedback will be used as evidence as we move forward to develop the future model of care.
View the presentation
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Key points/questions raised
Whether palliative care services are free of cost at the point of delivery – they are.
Do Palliative care services take into account ethnic background and the needs of Brent’s diverse communities – the current review work is actively seeking to understand where the gaps are in terms of cultural and faith needs from palliative care and ensure services are culturally aware, sensitive and diverse and that there are no barriers to accessing them.
Lack of hospice facilities in the south of Brent (since the closure of Pembridge in-patient service) and the difficulties in travelling to hospices further away – these considerations are very much part of the current review and we would encourage people to come forward and tell us more about their experiences as we seek to develop solutions as close to homes as possible.
Lack of clear information on the options available to people (in the various languages common in Brent) and linked to this the lack of fluency in English amongst some communities – the voluntary sector, with its existing strong links into different communities, have an important role to play here. Also the district nursing service, for example, have access to interpreters and interpreting services via the interpreting service at Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust. We need to ensure these services are being utilised effectively. Information needs to be better shared with the voluntary sector so they are equipped to inform people. NWL has a programme focused on improving working with the voluntary sector and Brent is also improving the links between its service providers and the voluntary sector / outreach workers.
Accommodation and family situation – many in Brent live in one bedroom homes with no family, or a house in multiple occupation (HMO), and It’s unclear how these people are being addressed through the review. Whilst the review is considering how best to provide the services that people need, part of the challenge outlined is around how health and social care services work better together (e.g. through things like the Brent Health matters team, which is already addressing some of the housing issues for residents). The NWL Programme team recognised that housing is a challenging area which is outside the scope of review
Draft resource pack on palliative care services – this needs further work and in particular needs more on what can be done before the end of life to access services and equipment. It’s recognised as a good start but will need to be improved and kept up-to-date so it is accurate.
Communication between service providers (including GPs) and specialists was raised as an issue - particularly when the family/carer is dealing with a sudden downturn in the patients’ health and feels stuck in between services and conflicting advice. This point has come up during other engagement events and the final resource pack should make clear at all times who the point of contact should be for the family/carer.
Rapid response and provision of mutual aid – the pandemic and responses to it showed that support can be provided quickly if we ignore silos and barriers and focus on delivering for patients. We need to take note of this within the review.
Pain relief at home – pain management and the in-home service is actively being looked at through the review and through additional work in Brent. Particularly issues around administering stronger forms of pain relief in the home.