An innovative training approach to increase knowledge and understanding of cultural and faith issues at end of life across health and social care, aimed at over 3,000 local professionals, has gone national, after being shared at the Hospice UK Conference in Glasgow.
The ‘Faith and Culture at End of Life’ training video was devised to support North Lincolnshire health and social care professionals in having conversations about spirituality, culture, faith - or no faith - with patients and families. The concept was shared at the Hospice UK Conference in November 2022, as part of a poster presentation by Sally Watson, Lindsey Lodge Hospice and Healthcare quality and Education Lead.
Sally said: “We implemented a new end of life strategy within the locality, to support the delivery of patient centred end of life care in 2021.
“The North Lincolnshire population comprises a significantly lower representation of ethnic minority groups and religious groups, despite a doubling of ethnic minority groups over the last decade, which meant that health and social care professionals may not have developed the depth of understanding and experience of caring for these groups.”
She added: “We brought together a diverse range of local faith leaders for a roundtable discussion of the experience of death and dying from their different point of views, with a focus on how health and social care professionals could enhance patients’ end of life experiences.
“This discussion was filmed in the format of a training video as a resource for all health and social care professionals. Adopting this innovative approach maximised the opportunity for learning from a diverse range of religious and non-religious groups.
“The video clearly demonstrates that dignity, respect and being sensitive are important to all faiths, it is thought provoking and provides important information about different rituals at end of life.”
The training video was integrated into the bespoke Northern Lincolnshire End of Life Learning Pathway that was launched in April 2022 and forms part of demonstrating competency in meeting faith and cultural needs at end of life.
Sally said: As part of our poster presentation, we shared the QR code link to the video on YouTube, as it’s a valuable free resource to all health and social care professionals, and we’re delighted it’s already had over 200 new views.
“We are proud and privileged to have been part of a collaboration, which has produced a valuable training resource to ensure our health and social care colleagues have the confidence and knowledge to provide excellent patient centred end of life care for all our patients.”
The link to the Faith and culture at the end of life video can be found here:
https://youtu.be/6thC9kTmpAs
For more information, please email Sally Watson at
sally.watson1@nhs.net