Somerset End of Life Care Conference 19th-20th May
The Somerset End of Life Care Conference will bring together health, social and spiritual care professionals from across the county to share best practice and new ideas for palliative and end of life care.
Tickets can be booked here:
The detailed programme for the 2 days is listed below:
Thursday 19th May
Keynote Talk 10-11am Main Hall
- Dr Lucy Pollock
Lucy Pollock trained in medicine at Cambridge and at Bart's Hospital and worked as a junior doctor in East London before moving to Somerset, where since 2001 she has been a consultant specialising in the care of those who are frail and elderly. Her first book ‘The Book about Getting Older (for People Who Don't Want to Talk about It)’ was published in 2021
Good Questions for Delicate Conversations
How do we have good conversations about what matters most? What are the barriers and how do we get round them, so that patients can tell us their hopes and fears? How do we allow families to speak on behalf of someone who can’t speak for themselves? Dr Pollock will be exploring and reflecting on these questions with us in her keynote talk
Morning session 11.30 – 12.15pm
- Jemma Newman & Rebecca Mosely
Jemma Newman is a Clinical Scientist and service lead for Electronic Assistive Technology South West. Jemma has worked in engineering roles within the NHS for 19 years and specialised in Rehabilitation Engineering.
Rebecca Mosely is an Occupational Therapist for the Electronic Assistive Technology Service South West. Rebecca has been working as an OT in rehabilitation services for over 20 years.
Electronic Assistive Technology South West
The Electronic Assistive Technology service: An exploration of the remit of the service and the technology options
- Dr Kate Shorthose and Ali Chedham
Kate is a consultant in palliative medicine at St Margaret’s Hospice and has a long-standing interest in palliative care in Heart Failure.
Research in a Palliative Care setting
Dr Kate and Ali will explore their latest end of life care research with us
- Andrew Tresidder
Somerset GP by background, Andrew works for Somerset CCG on Medicines Management and Pastoral Care. His clinical work is for NHS Practitioner Health. An Appraiser and Educator, his special interest is the Health of Health Professionals.
Health and Self Care for Health Professionals – and what’s new in Somerset
‘Health Professionals are highly trained in managing ‘car crashes’ – not in avoiding them through sensible driving, vehicle maintenance and good navigation. However, Own Oxygen first is crucial to maintain health – Somerset is investing in a number of initiatives to help us achieve this’
- Julie Lacey
Julie is Head of Funeral Services for St Margaret’s Funerals. She has many years of experience working as a funeral director.
Care after death – funeral care
A discussion around the process involved with caring for the deceased, including how best to conduct last office
Early Afternoon Session 12.25pm-1.10pm
- Dr Ed Hayes and Dr Kate Shorthose
Kate is a consultant in palliative medicine at St Margaret’s hospice and has a long-standing interest in palliative care in Heart Failure. Ed works mainly as a specialty doctor in palliative medicine both at the hospice and in the community. He also has worked as a GP locally for over ten years. Both are currently involved in a project to help develop end of life care for patients with Heart Failure in Somerset.
Improving end of life care for patients with heart failure
Ed and Kate will discuss their plans and vision for new education and practice across the county
- Nicola Hardwill
Nicola is the CHC Fast Track Team Leader with 35 years of varied nursing experience. She has a team of 4 Fast Track CHC Assessors assessing eligibility for Fast Track funding for packages of care. The Fast Track team are RGN’s with a background of knowledge in oncology & hospice care, community nursing and managing community hospital inpatient care.
The Fast Track CHC process
‘The eligibility criteria for Fast Track funding, completing the application form and different packages of care we can offer to support patients and their families during EOL care at home or in a nursing home setting’
- Cathy Fone
Cathy has many years of nursing experience and has always had an interest in end of life care. The last 4 years she has been a Palliative Discharge Sister in Yeovil District Hospital supporting palliative and end of life patients to get out of hospital and back to their preferred place of care.
Supporting palliative/EOL patients to ensure a good discharge from an acute hospital setting - A discussion around best practice and service challenges
Mid-Afternoon Session 2-3pm
- Dr Janet Gillett
Janet Gillett retired from palliative medicine last year having worked in Somerset for over 20 years. She is now training as a Coach in Emotional Logic and is also a Debt Advisor, which goes to show that life isn't over after retirement!
Emotional Logic
You've just had a setback or disappointment. A keyworker has just called in sick, or yesterday you lost your credit cards. Perhaps reading these scenarios generates some unpleasant emotions for you. Emotional Logic is a conversation based technique used by people of all ages to help them make sense of these emotions, and learn how to harness that emotional energy to face life's challenges.
- Cathy Chiplen
Cathy is a ‘Soul Midwife’, a Holistic and Spiritual Companion to the Dying. She is a mentor for newly qualified Soul Midwives in Somerset. She is a Trustee and Complementary Therapist for ‘Towards Tomorrow Together’, a local baby-loss charity. She is also a Bereavement Support Volunteer for ‘Cruse Bereavement Care’.
What is a Soul Midwife?
End of Life Practitioner, Soul Midwife, Companion to the Dying, End of Life Doula – what do all these terms mean? What do these roles involve? Why might someone want to engage the services of a Soul Midwife or other End of Life Practitioner?
- Rob Lutyens and The YDH SIM Team
Rob Lutyens is a Nurse Consultant in Palliative and End of Life Care at Yeovil Hospital. Rob has worked in Palliative and End of Life Care for 18 years, across a variety of settings, including Hospices, Community and Acute Hospitals.
Simulation to Improve Use of the D Word
Feedback has shown us that teams within the hospital struggle to communicate important news about the fact a patient may die with clarity. The presentation will focus on how we have used simulation across the hospital to improve this, and look future developments in simulation and end of life care education.
- Catherine Farmer, Mary Trotman & Charlotte Glenister
Catherine Farmer is a Children’s Oncology and Palliative care Nurse Specialist who has been working with Oncology families for over 20 years and has been part of the CYPCPCT for over 3 years .
Mary Trotman is a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) for Children with Palliative and Complex needs. She has been part of the CYPCPCT for almost 7 years and is currently developing our Transition pathway for our Palliative CYP’s
Charlotte Glenister is a clinical Psychologist and has lead our CYPCPCT for almost 5 years.
The role of clinical psychologists in a palliative care team
‘The presentation will include case studies and clinical formulations to demonstrate how clinical psychologists work with the team, with the family and with the young person and this helps to understand the issues better’
*Please note this session lasts until 4pm.*
Tea-time session 3.15-4pm
- LARCH – Jude Glide and Hana Kennerley
Jude has been a RN since 1983 and has 20 years teaching experience in healthcare. Her present role is supporting, teaching & empowering Care Home Staff. She works closely with Somerset FT & Yeovil Academy on Train the Trainer training.
Hana has been a NHS nurse since 1983, in acute and community sector. At present she is a senior care home in reach practitioner with a focus on appropriate and informed treatment escalation.
How STEP education care homes and improved STEP quality ‘The session will showcase Countywide audit results (August 2021) prior to STEP Education for Care Home Staff, highlight the significant problems uncovered and demonstrate our collaborative working to deliver bespoke STEP Education / Train the Trainer programme. We’ll share our journey & what we have learnt and showcase our post STEP Education audit results’
- Geoff Hooper, Janet Bilton & Morwenna Hitchens
Janet, Geoff & Morwenna joined the team at DHHC 3 years ago and work together on the inpatient unit. Janet’s background was an ANP in stroke rehabilitation. Geoff worked as a community palliative care nurse specialist. Morwenna is a Palliative Care Consultant.
The role of the ANP in Palliative Care-demonstrating collaboration between the medical, therapy and nursing teams
Part 1: The origins of the ANP role at Dorothy House. An overview of the medical team before and after the role was created
Part 2: How the role has been received
Part 3: How the role has progressed
- Donna Moore and Becky Furzer
Becky has worked in Somerset Foundation Trust for the past 11 years. Prior to her current role, she was a Care of the Elderly Ward Sister. Becky has recently taken up the new role of Dementia and Delirium Specialist Nurse.
Donna has worked in mental health for 15+ years, focusing on Older Age and specifically Dementia since qualifying as an Occupational Therapist 5 years ago. She is currently working as the Trust’s Dementia Education Facilitator.
Dementia and End of Life Care - The presentation will discuss the needs of clients with Dementia and/or Delirium in the context of end of life care.
Friday 20th May
Keynote Talk 10-11am Main Hall
- Dr Kathryn Mannix - via videolink
Kathryn Mannix has spent her medical career working with people who have incurable, advanced illnesses. Having qualified as a Cognitive Behaviour Therapist in 1993, she started the UK's (possibly the world's) first CBT clinic exclusively for palliative care patients, and devised 'CBT First Aid' training to enable palliative care colleagues to add new skills to their repertoire for helping patients. Her first book, With the End in Mind, was a Sunday Times bestseller.
Dr Mannix will discuss her new book ‘Listening’. She will explore the key principles of listening, as well as explaining the difference between listening to respond and listening to understand. She will also ask us to consider how clinicians' reassurance and advice can prevent patients from feeling heard.
Morning session 11.30 – 12.15pm
- Deborah Parkes - St Margaret's
Deborah Parkes is a Lymphoedema Specialist in St Margaret’s Hospice. She is a Physiotherapist who has spent the last 19 years working within Oncology and Lymphoedema.
Lymphoedema in Advanced Disease ‘This presentation will provide a basic overview of the anatomy and physiology of the lymphatic system, classification and causes of oedema, signs and symptoms, principles of management, psychosocial aspects of oedema and priorities in palliative care’
- Dr James Richards and Dr Oliver King
Dr James Richards is an Orthopaedic Junior Clinical Fellow and Dr Oliver King is an Anaesthetics Trainee at Musgrove Park Hospital. They are two junior doctors who have taken an interest in communication of STEP forms since starting as an foundation doctors
Improving the communication of STEP forms between hospital admissions - ‘A 2 cycle QIP aiming to improve the communication of STEP forms at Musgrove Park Hospital’
- Hannah Creighton & Alice Liddell
Hannah is a qualified Dance Movement Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor with 13 years’ experience of working in settings with older populations
Alice is a qualified Drama and Creative Arts’ therapist with ten years’ experience of working with older people in care homes and day centres.
Dance Therapy –
‘An experiential workshop incorporating proven, creative therapy techniques for individuals or groups, such as sensory integration, movement, dance, music, singing, storytelling and reminiscence to increase energy levels and heighten demeaners, plus a taste of the theory behind the techniques, all being part of the ‘Caring Creatively’ training programme.’
*Please note this session lasts for 90 mins*
- Dr Jo Lutyens and Dr Sioned Evans
Jo is a Consultant in Palliative Care for Somerset FT. She has a clinical role supporting patients in the community in south Somerset and Mendip with palliative care needs, but she is also the Education Lead for the Consultant Team and Chair of the YDH Clinical Ethics Committee.
Difficult Conversations - Dr Jo and Dr Sioned have come together with medical actors to provide a thought provoking and creative workshop around difficult end of life care conversations
*Please note this session lasts for 90 mins*
Early Afternoon Session 12.25pm-1.10pm
- Michelle Selley HCA & TV link and Cher Griffiths, Nurse Lead, St Margaret’s Hospice
Cher is currently undertaking an Apprenticeship in Advanced Clinical Practice with an established practice history in Palliative Care & Specialist nursing (Respiratory Care)
Michelle is an experienced HCA working on the IPU. She is dedicated to holistic care provision and skilled in Tissue Viability.
Co-ordinating EOLC across countries ‘Case History presentation – A patient admitted to IPU with an aim to return to Portugal for EOL care. The case represents cross service working as a system to enable him to achieve his goal. It also gives an account of the coordination required from IPU to achieve this’
- Teresa Wort- Mindfulness and Compassion teacher
Teresa began to practice mindfulness and compassion in 2012 because of psoriatic arthritis and anxiety with being idiopathic anaphylaxis then qualified to teach in 2017. Teresa teaches the benefits of mindfulness and compassion for mental health issues and chronic conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and cancer.
Mindfulness and Compassion for Chronic Illness ‘A taster of what it is to be mindful. The benefits for those with a chronic illness, living with pain, and anxiety of what the future holds. And for carers. The session will include brief meditation practice. All are delivered with compassion for self and others.’
Mid-Afternoon Session 2-3pm
- Ann Fulton, Spiritual Care Coordinator, St Margaret’s Hospice Care, The Rt Rev’d Ruth Worsley, Bishop of Taunton, Robin Pfaff, Chaplaincy Team-Leader for Community and Mental Health, Somerset NHS FT, Paula Howlett, Manager, Abbeyfield Care Home Taunton and Carter Weleminsky, Interfaith and Belief Coordinator, Somerset Community Council
Working in partnership to deliver person-centred spiritual care with compassion and creativity - ‘This session will demonstrate and celebrate working together towards the aspiration that all who are in hospice, hospital, care home and their own home have the spiritual care of their choice at the end of their life.’
- Nicola Hardwill
Nicola is the CHC Fast Track Team Leader with 35 years of varied nursing experience. She has a team of 4 Fast Track CHC Assessors assessing eligibility for Fast Track funding for packages of care. The Fast Track team are RGN’s with a background of knowledge in oncology & hospice care, community nursing and managing community hospital inpatient care.
The Fast Track CHC process
‘The eligibility criteria for Fast Track funding, completing the application form and different packages of care we can offer to support patients and their families during EOL care at home or in a nursing home setting’
- Lynn Cornish Tissue Viability Specialist Lead and Michelle Selley SHCA Tissue Viability Link Nurse
Lynn Cornish is tissue viability Lead at St. Margaret’s, where she has worked for nearly 20 years. In 2011 Lynn successfully completed her BSc Hons in Health & Social Care and in 2018 went onto graduate from Cardiff University with an MSc in Wound Healing & Tissue Repair. Michelle Selley is a Senior Health Care Assistant, and tissue viability link nurse, at St. Margaret’s, where she has worked for 6 years. Michelle has been working within tissue viability for 3 years.
The prevention and management of pressure ulcers in palliative patients:
Our experience - The presentation will highlight the challenges of preventing/managing pressure ulcers in palliative patients, how the patient experience can be improved, and what impact new strategies have had on pressure ulcer statistics within a hospice setting.
Tea-time session 3.15-4pm
- Ben Gadd
Ben is Head of Operations and Quality, South West of England. Ben has worked as a nurse for 25 years in acute, mental health, and community settings. He was previously Head of Patient Experience for Marie Curie.
Talk About – the Value of Volunteers in Advanced Care Planning
‘The presentation will look at the benefits, challenges, and impacts of a volunteer delivered ACP service’
- Emma Frampton
Emma has been a consultant at Dorothy House since 2011, and Medical Director since 2021. Previously she worked as a GP in Somerset, before completing specialist training in Oxford. She completed a Master’s degree in Palliative Medicine in 2012, and in 2016 became a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. Her particular areas of interest are complex ethical situations, and non-malignant conditions.
The BSW Palliative and End of Life Alliance –
‘The formation of the BSW Palliative and End of Life Care group, and development of the objectives, one of which was to become an alliance’
- Eelke Zoestbergen & Amy Giles
Eelke is the Quality Lead for LD, MH and Community Services with Somerset CCG. Eelke has worked in commissioning and quality improvement services for 10+ years with a specific focus on Learning Disabilities and Mental Health. Part of her current role is to advance access to EOLC for people with Learning Disabilities.
Amy is an End of Life Care practice facilitator for Somerset Foundation Trust. Amy worked as a Social Worker and Social Work lead in Somerset hospital discharge teams for over 12 years before joining the end of life care education team. Amy supports the Advance Care Planning lead to promote the importance of creating an advance care plan.
No Barriers Here: Arts approach in Advance Care Planning for people with learning disabilities
'New project in Somerset supporting people with learning disabilities to create an Advance Care Plan. No Barriers here is a unique and innovative approach to advance care planning for people with learning disabilities. It explores the use of art making to create and support conversations about death and dying, discovering what matters to people at the end of life'.