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Welsh Government urged to work with the palliative and end of life care sector to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023
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Welsh Conservative Shadow Social Justice Minister, Mark Isherwood MS, who Chairs the Cross-Party Group on Hospice and Palliative Care in the Senedd, has today put forward a motion in the Senedd Chamber calling on the Welsh Government to work with the palliative care sector to learn from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Leading the Welsh Conservatives Debate on Palliative Care, Mr Isherwood referred to the findings of the Cross-Party Group’s inquiry, ‘Experiences of palliative and end of life care in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic’ in Wales, based on the written and oral responses received from family members, unpaid carers, Social Workers, Nurses and Doctors, detailing experiences of palliative and end of life care in people’s homes and care homes during the pandemic.

Mr Isherwood said:

“It is clear from those contributions that the Covid 19 pandemic turned the world of palliative care on its head, dramatically disrupting the lives of individuals at end of life, their loved ones and the health and social care workers supporting them.

“We wanted to learn from their experiences of end of life care at home and in care homes so that we can be better prepared for any future disaster and better placed to meet the ongoing impacts of Covid and the cost of living crisis.

“We believe this is more important than ever before, considering demand for palliative care in the community is forecast to nearly double by 2040 and the pandemic has given us a glimpse into how our health and social care system will cope under similar pressures in the not so distant future.

“Our motion today incorporates this and “acknowledges that during the COVID-19 pandemic, hospice and palliative care played a critical role, and went above and beyond in supporting patients and their families.”

Key findings from the inquiry include:

• Visiting restrictions in care homes and other settings caused untold pain and distress, leaving many patients and their families isolated at end of life leading to cases of complex bereavement.

• Many people had devastating experiences of caring for loved ones at home and struggled to access adequate palliative care support.

• People at end of life faced difficult and tragic transitions between home, hospital and care home.

• Pandemic responses sparked a revolution in collaboration, creative working and use of communication technology across health and social care services delivering palliative care.

• Care home staff and those working with them were at times concerned with hospital discharge into homes and the use of do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation decisions.

• There were widespread shortages of staff, personal protective equipment (PPE) and end of life medication impacting on the delivery of vital palliative care.

Mr Isherwood added:

“Our report found that: ‘lack of PPE and shortages of end of life medication, especially in the early days of the pandemic, were common issues reported by health and social care workers providing palliative care in the community. In many cases palliative and social care workers were reliant on donations of makeshift PPE items such as visors, scrubs and masks from the local community and described feeling fearful for their safety’. Evidence from Marie Curie cited a study where almost half of healthcare respondents in Wales reported shortages of PPE and insufficient training in its use, affecting their ability to provide care to patients. The same study found respondents from Wales were more likely to experience medication shortages compared to other parts of the UK, with more than 40% describing scarcities in end of life medication.

“Our Report therefore recommends that :

  • That the Welsh Government should ensure that palliative and end of life care is at the heart of plans for potential future pandemics and work with families and professionals to review how future visiting regulations could be enacted in a more compassionate and consistent way for those with a palliative care need.
  • And that the findings and recommendations of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry must be informed by the lived experiences of people in Wales and recognise the impact the pandemic has had on the nation’s healthcare systems, specifically for people at end of life.”

“Our motion asks the Senedd to call on the Welsh Government to work with the palliative care sector to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic, and ensure palliative care is at the heart of plans for potential future pandemics; prioritise  the development of palliative care capacity in the community; and ensure that workforce and funding decisions prioritise …those working across the full spectrum of palliative and end-of-life care.”

 

ENDS

 

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