We would like to say thank you to everyone who attended the event. Their thoughts and feedback will be used as evidence as we move forward to develop the future model of care.
View the recording of the meeting.
View the presentation.
Jane Wheeler (JW), Director of Local Care, NHS North West London (NW London) gave an introduction and presentation covering the development of the new model of care, the potential options for its delivery, and the decision making process.
Key points raised by attendees
- How engagement meetings are being advertised and what else we can do to improve awareness of future engagement events and other opportunities to feedback on the model of care and the options.
- Whether we can work with organisations who can support with translation in different communities (e.g. BME Health Forum, Mosaic) and whether such organisations could also be involved in workforce training and local recruitment.
- Whether re-opening Pembridge hospice in-patient unit is an option under consideration.
- Why nurse-led units were not proposed as option (and whether such a unit could operate at Pembridge).
- Whether re-opening the Pembridge in-patient unit would provide better integrated care.
- Whether the new model of care’s proposed enhanced end-of-life care beds could be based at Pembridge in-patient unit.
- Whether any enhanced end-of-life care beds based within care homes will be age restricted (e.g. for younger adults receiving end-of-life care).
- The importance of patient choice within whatever options are taken forward, though also taking into account patient need.
- The need to find the right environment for each patient within the proposed system, whether that is receiving care at home, in a hospice, a care home or hospital.
- The lack of local hospice options for North Kensington residents and whether these residents receive an equal service in terms of other end-of-life care services.
- The extent to which service levels vary across different parts of NW London (e.g. district nursing and night services/visiting).
- The difficulties encountered in securing Continuing Health Care funded nursing home places for end-of-life care for patients experiencing homelessness due to their age (which is younger than a typical nursing home end-of-life patient).
- How we are coping with increasing demand for end-of-life care for those with drug and alcohol addictions (who are younger than our usual age profile for end-of-life service users).
- The difficulties encountered in providing palliative acre to those living in hostels and with patients with addictions and the fact that a Hospice@Home model will not be appropriate for these patients.
- The challenges around palliative care and medication for drug users, specifically the lack of understanding amongst some staff of dispensing pain medication for these individuals.
- The inclusion of health inequalities as a specific point within the model of care development was welcomed.
- Whether integrating more service options at St Charles could be part of the solution
- The importance of training and education, including to district nursing teams.