End of life care programme meets patients' wishes to die in their care home

Quality end of life care will be recognised at an awards ceremony tonight as 42 care homes are acknowledged for completing their Gold Standard Framework training programme.

The GSF training is the UK’s leading quality improvement training programme for care homes in end of life care.

The awards ceremony is timely as two new reports show that the Gold Standards Framework in Care Homes (GSF) quality improvement programme increases the number of patients dying in their preferred place, reduces crisis hospital admissions and improves both the quality of care and care home staff confidence.

The two pieces of research produced positive results including significant reductions in hospital admissions for people living in care homes and practical ways to trigger the right care at the right time.

The 42 homes receiving their awards today brings the total number of homes to have received the GSF Quality Hallmark Award to almost 350, with more than 2,000 having completed the GSF training.

Andrew Makin, director of nursing at the Registered Nursing Home Association, presenting the awards said: “There is no doubt in my mind that GSF has done more to improve end of life care in care homes than anything else in the last ten years.

“I am delighted to be celebrating something in which I believe so strongly, end of life care in general and GSF in particular. All of these 42 homes will have worked very hard to meet the required standards. In long term care, the good death is the climax of our service. These homes are now ideally set to provide this.”

A two year study conducted in Somerset on the GSF end of life training showed that over the course of the programme GSF homes in Somerset reduced inappropriate hospital admissions by 20.2 per cent, while the non GSF group managed a 10.5 per cent reduction. Deaths in acute hospitals of residents from GSF homes fell by 30 per cent, while 12 per cent less residents from non GSF homes died in acute hospitals.

By the end of the programme 87 per cent of care home residents were dying in their homes, according to their wishes compared with 72 per cent of non GSF homes’ residents.

A similar study in the St Christopher’s Hospice area of South East London also showed a significant rise in residents dying in their care home from 57 per cent to 76 per cent.

Dr Chris Absolon, GP palliative care lead for Somerset, said: “While we cannot say that all the improvements are solely attributable to the GSF programme, it is clear from the figures that it has played a significant part in improving end of life care in Somerset care homes.”

Maggie Stobbart-Rowlands, GSF lead nurse said: “GSF is helping to trigger a national momentum of best practice. Our aspiration is to give training and support that brings about transformation, enabling a gold standard of care for all people nearing the end of life.

“We are very pleased that these two reports indicate that this aspiration is becoming a reality in an increasing number of care homes and we are proud of the latest group of homes to have made such a great effort to which others can aspire.”