There is a variety of palliative care training available for staff working in Care Homes, Care at Home, Community, and Acute Services.
Please see below for details on the the palliative care courses delivered through the NHS Lothian Clinical Education Team, along with booking information.
There is also information below on additional sources of education from Marie Curie and NHS Education Scotland
Health and Social Care Workers, Registered Nurses and Allied Health Professionals:
A package of 4 core topics are available
Delivered in short sessions online via MS Teams or as a full day face to face course
1. The Fundamentals of Palliative Care
The first of four sessions which introduces Palliative Care for Healthcare Support Workers, Registered Nurses, and Allied Health Professionals in acute and community areas, as well as care home staff
Learning Outcomes:
- Define Palliative Care and understand the principles of Palliative Care
- Recognise the challenges of providing palliative care
- Appreciate the value of good communication in a palliative context.
- Consider societal attitudes to death, dying and bereavement and reflect on your own beliefs
2. Care Planning in Palliative Care
The second of four sessions which introduces Anticipatory Care Planning in Palliative Care
Learning Outcomes:
- Discuss holistic assessment for palliative patients and consider how to apply this to practice
- Understand the importance of Future Care Planning and how enhancing this skill improves patient outcomes
- Develop ways to approach conversations around Future Care Planning
- Identify the referral process to palliative care teams and specialists
3. Care in the Last Days of Life
The third of four sessions which introduces Care in the Last Days of Life
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand how to improve the quality of life for people with a terminal illness
- Describe essential nursing care in the last days of life
- Appreciate the uncertainties around the time of death
- Discuss and recognise the dying process
4. Loss, Grief and Bereavement
The fourth of four sessions which introduces Loss, Grief, and Bereavement
Learning Outcomes:
- Describe Loss, Grief, and Bereavement
- Recognise Anticipatory Grief and people who are at risk of Complicated or Prolonged Grief
- Be aware of different models of Grief
- Understand how Loss, Grief, & Bereavement affects children
- Learn how to talk, and be with people who are bereaved
- Appreciate your own strengths, limitations and vulnerabilities
Or alternatively a full day training face to face, encompassing all 4 core sessions :
Palliative Care – Full Day Face to Face
This is a full day session which covers four core sessions – see above for Learning Outcomes for each topic
- Fundamentals of Palliative Care.
- Care Planning in Palliative Care.
- Care in the Last Days of Life.
- Loss, Grief, and Bereavement.
This training is for Healthcare Support Workers, Registered Nurses, and Allied Health Professionals who work in acute and community areas, as well as care home staff.
Delivered Face to Face
Symptom Management Training for Registered Nurses
Pain Assessment and Pain Management in Palliative Care
Learning Outcomes:
- Define Pain
- Identify some of the causes of pain and how they might affect palliative patients
- Understand the value of good pain assessment and apply this to practice
- Identify commonly used medications in palliative care
- Demonstrate knowledge gained in pain management
- Recognise when specialist advice is required
Delirium/Agitation and Emergencies in Palliative Care
Learning Outcomes:
- Describe delirium and who is at risk
- Compare types of delirium and associated symptoms
- Understand how to manage symptoms of delirium and when to escalate
Breathlessness, Anxiety, Fatigue and Nausea & Vomiting
Learning Outcomes:
- Define symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, and breathlessness, as well as nausea and vomiting in a palliative context
- Understand how to assess and recognise the causes of these symptoms
- Recognise the effects of fatigue, anxiety, and breathlessness, as well as nausea and vomiting, on the patient and how to manage these symptoms
- Define nausea and vomiting
- Identify common causes of nausea & vomiting
- Discuss management strategies for a person with nausea & vomiting
Registered Nurses who are training, or have trained to be non-medical prescribers
Non-medical Prescribing in Palliative Care
This course is aimed at staff who are active or training towards being independent non-medical prescribers and involved caring and prescribing for patients requiring palliative care. It will go through the decision-making process of choosing and changing opioid medications and calculating doses of breakthrough medications. There will be a focus on different pain’s, total pain, as well as recognising toxicity. There will be a refresher on prescribing controlled drugs, reviewing compatibilities, and using the Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines.
Half of the session will be group work to discuss scenarios therefore it is essential you have access to a device that has a camera and microphone
Learning Outcomes:
- Gain knowledge and confidence on the decision-making process for prescribing palliative medications
- Recognise different pains, total pain and toxicity and discuss the management
- Refresh your memory of the prescribing process and the use of the Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines
- Build a support network of non-medical prescriber colleagues
- Discuss and practise prescribing palliative medications
Training Dates for 2024 and How to Book
Please feel free to download these dates and print off for staff information.
How to Book:
Care Home and Care at Home Staff – Please email trainingandeducation.carehomes@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
NHS Staff – Please Book through eESS
Resources
Please feel free to print off flyers for sharing in the workplace:
Additional sources of palliative and end of life care training
Bespoke Training for Care Homes: NHS Lothian Clinical Education Team can also provide bespoke training if required. Please contact the team by email in the first instance to discuss specific training needs trainingandeducation.carehomes@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
Marie Curie Knowledge Zone Wide range of palliative care information & resources for health and social care workers
Support Around Death (SAD) This NHS Education for Scotland website aims to support health and social care staff who are working with patients, carers and families before, at, and after death. It provides key information on the clinical, legislative, and practical issues involved.
Further information
For information on palliative care and referral processes please see the following webpages.
Palliative Care: Service and Information
Palliative Care: Referral Pathway
