The road ahead - National Council for Palliative Care Strategy 2015-2018

Published May 2015

The new strategy has been agreed by the NCPC's Board of Trustees and affirms their vision for palliative and end of life care over the next three years, demonstrates the role they can play in shaping the future and sets out the areas in which they will work to achieve these goals.

The strategy identifies four priority areas of work:

• Changing attitudes
• Changing behaviour
• Improving care and support
• Improving evidence and intelligence

Follow this link for the strategy

Tax help: a guide to taxation at bereavement (booklet)

Produced by Tax Help for Older People, this booklet is a checklist and reminder about things to do about tax at bereavement.  It is aimed at those where the personal representative of the person who has died is the surviving spouse or close family member.  Rather than being an exhaustive account of the entire tax system, it provides sufficient guidance on the common issues that need to be addressed when someone dies.

Download a copy of the guide here

Advance care planning in a UK hospice: the experiences of trained volunteers

European Journal of Palliative Care, May/June 2015, 22(3)144-51
Penny Jones, Kate Heaps, Carla Rattigan and Di Marks-Maran

In 2013, Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice launched an ACP project to enable hard-to-reach people with life-limiting illness in the London borough of Greenwich, and their carers, to develop an advance care plan. The hospice aimed to recruit and train up to 45 volunteers to support a minimum of 225 people with life-limiting illness. An evaluation of the volunteers’ experiences was commissioned after the project’s first year of operation. This article discusses the development of the project and the findings of the evaluation, starting with a
brief literature review of ACP.

Available in print in Arthur Rank House Library, Brookfields Hospital

End-of-life care for cystic fibrosis patients

European Journal of Palliative Care, 2015, 22(2)74-77; 22(3)136-140
Julia Nightingale and Irfan Shafiq

From lung transplantation to advance care planning, from symptom control to place of death, Julia Nightingale and Irfan Shafiq review the key issues arising for respiratory physicians when caring for patients suffering from cystic fibrosis. This paper is published in two parts

Available in print in Arthur Rank House Library, Brookfields Hospital

A palliative care outreach programme for patients with respiratory disease

European Journal of Palliative Care, May/June 2015, 22 (3) 126-9

Lisa Makey and Andrew Hiskett

Keech Hospice Care initiated an outreach programme aimed at helping patients with chronic lung disease to access palliative care. Lisa Makey and Andrew Hiskett show how it has improved patients’ quality of life and reduced their fear of engaging with hospices. Although this programme focused on respiratory disease, the results indicate that the management of any non-malignant condition could be optimised by the introduction of similar programmes.

Available in print in Arthur Rank House Library, Brookfields Hospital

Detecting pain or distress in people with dementia: an appraisal of two strategies

European Journal of Palliative Care, May/June 2015, 22 (3) 110-113

Jenny T van der Steen, Claud Regnard, Ladislav Volicer, Nele J A Van den Noortgate and Elizabeth L Sampson

What is the best approach to recognise pain or distress in people with dementia who cannot express themselves verbally? Jenny T van der Steen, et al have critically appraised two assessment tools: the pain tool PAINAD and the distress documentation tool DisDAT.

Available in print in Arthur Rank House Library, Brookfields Hospital

Advance care planning in people with early cognitive impairment

BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care, March 2015, 5(1) 63-69
Kenny Cheong, Paul Fisher, Jenny Goh, Lynette Ng, Hui Mien Koh, Philip Yap

This study aims to explore the perspectives of patients with early cognitive impairment(ECI) regarding ACP, and in particular, understand their reasons for resistance.  It was found that a large proportion of patients with ECI decline ACP discussions and the reasons are influenced by personal values, coping behaviours and socio-cultural norms. These findings have important implications for practice.

Fulltext available in BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care

Available in print in Arthur Rank House Library, Brookfields Hospital

Predicting palliative care needs and mortality in end stage renal disease: use of an at-risk register

BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care, March 2015, 5(1) 19-25
Kennedy Feyi, Sarah Klinger, Georgina Pharro, Liz Mcnally, Ajith James, Kate Gretton, Michael K Almond

This research used the GSF `surprise question' to formulate a list of patients predicted to die within 1 year with end stage renal failure. The authors conclude that these patients can be accurately identified by a multi-disciplinary team using the surprise trigger question with a relatively high sensitivity and specificity. The accurate identification of patients with reduced life expectancy allows appropriate end of life care planning to begin in keeping with patients' wishes and within published guidelines.

Fulltext available in BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care
Available in print in Arthur Rank House Library, Brookfields Hospital

Cancer survivors' perceived need for supportive care and their attitude towards self-management and eHealth

Supportive Care in Cancer, June 2015, 23(6):1679-88

Jansen F; van Uden-Kraan CF; van Zwieten V; Witte BI; Verdonck-de Leeuw IM.

The authors conclude that the perceived need for supportive care including healthy lifestyle programs was high, and in general, cancer survivors had a positive attitude towards self-management and eHealth. Need and attitude were associated with sociodemographic and clinical variables and quality of life. Therefore, a tailored approach seems to be warranted to improve and innovate supportive care targeting cancer survivors.

Fulltext available in Supportive Care in Cancer

Log in using your Athens account details or contact the library where we can download it for you.

Pharmacological options for the management of refractory cancer pain-what is the evidence?

Supportive Care in Cancer, May 2015,  23(5):1473-81 

Afsharimani B;  Kindl K;  Good P;  Hardy J.

The management of patients with refractory pain remains a challenge. The evidence of benefit for many of the agents used is weak, and each additional agent increases the risk of adverse events. Evidence-based guidelines cannot, therefore, be developed at present. New approaches are recommended including targeted opioid therapy, multimodal analgesia, a goal-oriented approach to pain management and increasing use of the multidisciplinary team and support services.

Fulltext available in  Supportive Care in Cancer

Log in using your Athens account details or contact the library where we can download the article for you

Spirituality in palliative and supportive care (special issue)

Palliative & Supportive Care, February 2015, 13 (1)

This special issue focuses on spirituality and, among others, includes the following articles:

• Meaning of life in patients with cancer
• Mindfulness in informal caregivers of palliative patients
• Do spiritual patients want spiritual interventions
• The role of Chaplains in end of life decision-making
• Guidelines for conducting a spiritual assessment

Fulltext available in Palliative & Supportive Care

This links to the contents page.  To access the articles you will need your Athens account details or contact the library where they can be downloaded for you.

Verbalized desire for death or euthanasia in advanced cancer patients receiving palliative care

Palliative & Supportive Care, April 2015, 13(2):295-303

Guell E;  Ramos A;  Zertuche T;  Pascual A.

The authors found that although the single most common reason for a desire for death or desire for euthansia comment was pain or physical suffering, most of the reasons given were nonphysical.   They conclude that emotional and spiritual issues should be identified and effectively addressed when responding to a desire for death statement in terminally ill cancer patients.

Fulltext available in Palliative & Supportive Care

Log in using your Athens account details or contact the library where it can be downloaded for you

A communication training perspective on AND versus DNR directives

Palliative & Supportive Care, April 2015, 13(2):385-7

Levin TT;  Coyle N.

An alternative, "Allow Natural Death" (AND), has been proposed as a better way of framing end of life discussions.   The authors contrast the advantages and disadvantages of the term AND from the communication training perspective and suggest that AND-framing language replace DNR as a better way to facilitate meaningful end-of-life communication. One well-designed, randomized, controlled simulation study supports this practice. We also consider the communication implications of "natural" versus "unnatural" death.

Fulltext available in Palliative and Supportive Care

Log in using your Athens account or contact the library where it can be downloaded for you

The effect of acupressure application on chemotherapy-induced nausea, vomiting, and anxiety in patients with breast cancer

Palliative and Supportive Care, April 2015, 13(2):275-84
Genc F;  Tan M.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of acupressure applied to the pericardium 6 (P6 or neiguan) acupuncture point on chemotherapy-induced nausea, vomiting, and anxiety in patients with breast cancer.  The authors conclude that the efficacy of applying acupressure was demonstrated but that further research is needed.

Fulltext available in Palliative and Supportive Care 

Log in using your Athens account or contact the library and the article can be downloaded for you.

Management of radiotherapy-induced skin reactions

International journal of palliative nursing, Apr 2015, vol. 21, no. 4, p. 187-192

Trueman, Ellen

Radiotherapy is frequently used for palliation of disease-related symptoms and complications but treatment-related side-effects do occur, with an acute skin reaction being one of the most common. This article describes how the use of a recognised assessment tool and evidence-based guidelines can facilitate consistent, high-quality care in the management of radiotherapy-induced skin reactions.

Fulltext available in International Journal of Palliative Nursing

Available in print in Arthur Rank House Library, Brookfields Hospital

Last offices: nurses' experiences of the process and their views about involving significant others

International journal of palliative nursing, Apr 2015, vol. 21, no. 4, p. 173-178

Martin, Susan, Bristowe, Katherine

The aim of the study was to explore nurses' experiences of carrying out last offices, in hospice inpatient and community settings, and their views on involving the person's significant others in the process. 

Fulltext available in International Journal of Palliative Nursing

Available in print in Arthur Rank House Library, Brookfields Hospital