Communication and end of life care

Nursing staff need to be fully prepared for when they have difficult conversations with patients and their families about end of life care.

At a recent RCN conference, called 'Nurses Leading Improvement: Let's Talk About Dying', Allie Fellows - a senior trainer at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust - highlighted the importance of being prepared for the conversations.

She said: "We need to be asking patients: what do you want, who do you want to look after you and where would you like to be. But it is not that straightforward."

Delegates were told having the conversations could even make patients or families face the fact that it is treatment until the end of life which necessary.

Allie also said terminology needs to be explained - for example describing a patient as 'very poorly' in a hospice could have a different meaning compared to when it is used in a hospital.

She recommended that all nursing staff who deal with end of life care are trained in how best to communicate with patients and their families. It should be run by a qualified facilitator, meet training needs and be evaluated by End of Life Care Quality Markers.

Visit the NHS National End of Life Care Programme website - you may wish to search for a document called Finding the Words.