Home Group’s ‘Good Death’ pilot project has helped a number of its clients access help and support at the end of life. Its aim is to provide advice, guidance, practical and emotional support, to develop integrated care pathways to ensure seamless care for its residents and to allow clients to stay at home to receive end of life care.
For example, one client with stage four breast cancer did not have a dishwasher, but needed to have medical equipment sterilised 15 times a day. Home Group was put in contact with the client and helped to source a new dishwasher.
Another client with terminal bone cancer was referred to the Good Death from Cancer Connections, part of Macmillan Cancer Support, after the hospital was unable to discharge him because his home had leaks, which caused damp in the property which made it unable for him to live at home. The Good Death project helped the client to access a grant to help to fix the leak in the roof, and allowed him to return to the comfort of his home.
The pilot project has reported very positive outcomes, with clients from the project reporting that their feeling of wellbeing had improved from the pre-support score of 3.6 to 6.95 (out of 10). The average attendance for clients at GP surgeries was reduced by an average of 12.5%. The number of days clients stayed in hospital was reduced by a total of 29 days, and admissions were reduced by 14.3%.
We recently reported on the publication of A good death: the role of local authority in end of life care, produced by the Local Government Information Unit and the housing association Home Group. The report suggested that local authorities should have greater ownership of the agenda given the services they provide and commission such as social care and housing.
More information about the Good Death service can be found on the Home Group website.
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