CARE for those at the very end of their lives will improve as NHS chiefs and charity nurses work together more closely, Swindon’s top nurse has said.

Prospect Hospice and Swindon NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) plan to launch a pilot project in May, aimed at improving end of life care. 

They say that a new computer system, Black Pear, will make it easier for doctors, nurses and carers to share important details about patients’ care. And a “24 hour palliative care response team” will be staffed with nurses able to give round-the-clock support.

It could potentially see savings to NHS services elsewhere, with one estimate suggesting that these could amount to more than £780,000.

Gill May, executive nurse at Swindon CCG, said that – currently – the system was confused and clinicians were not “proactively discussing dying” with patients and their families.

Every year, 1,590 people in Swindon are predicted to need end of life or specialist palliative care. This is set to increase, by 2020 rising to 1,685.

And, according to the CCG, for a fifth of those who die at GWH it is not known where the patient would have rather died. 

Speaking to the CCG’s governing body on the new end of life plans, Ms May said yesterday: “We are seeing duplication of [carer/clinician] visiting, lack of continuity of care and multiple care planning going on.

“Proactively discussing dying with patients and their families is still not systematically happening. People are still finding that discussion very hard.”

She said that the CCG and Prospect hoped to launch a new pilot project in early summer involving GPs and Great Western Hospital community teams. It will look at how new technology and a round-the-clock response team of nurses, carers, therapists and social workers could improve care for those at the very end of their lives.

Ms May said: “I want us to focus on the people in Swindon who are in their last year of life. That’s the people that we need to get right.”

It is hoped that, by caring better for those at the end of their lives, it will bring wider savings for the NHS. Estimates by the CCG suggest that more than £780,000 could be saved.

Angela Jordan, Prospect Hospice's chief executive said: "We welcome the CCG's approach to Prospect Hospice to explore how we might work together to ensure the best possible end-of-life care for the growing number of people in Swindon who will seek our services in the coming years."

At yesterday’s CCG meeting there was enthusiasm for anything that could reduce the stress on both patients and clinicians.

GP Dr Sarah Bruen said: “It sounds really positive and really important that we get end of life care right. I think we just have to be a bit careful around the confidentiality issue for us just giving their end of life register.”

Ms May said that currently patients “believe there is an arrangement to share the register” – but that safeguards were in place to ensure that consent was given to share information.