Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething
Marie Curie Hospice in Cardiff and the Vale have published the findings of their end of life care project for marginalised groups.
For the last three years the charity have worked with people with dementia, learning disabilities, and alternative or no religious beliefs as part of the Including Diverse Communities in End of Life Care project, funded by the Big Lottery.
These groups were identified based on research into gaps in palliative care provision, and through consultations with members of these groups in Cardiff and the Vale.
The project involved organisations including Cardiff People First, a Service User Review Panel from Gwent and their carers supported by the Alzheimer’s Society, and a number of different faith groups from across Cardiff.
The team have implemented a range of improvements and made further recommendations for what needs to be done in the future, such as making the hospice dementia-friendly, and recruiting a spiritual care coordinator to look after those with both religious and non-religious beliefs.
They have also produced a film explaining their services, an idea proposed by and featuring people with learning disabilities. Emily Lewis, a member of Cardiff People First, was instrumental in making the film. She said:
“Thinking about a hospice can be scary. So for people with a learning disability to be able to sit and watch this film and have an understanding about what goes on behind the doors of a hospice makes it much less scary.”
The hospice shared the report at an event attended by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething, who commented:
“This project and others like it are key to addressing the barriers faced by marginalised groups in accessing the quality end of life care everybody deserves.
“This can be achieved by the third sector working with the Welsh Government, health boards and social care.”
Andrew Wilson-Mouasher, divisional general manager for Marie Curie Wales and the South, explained how the project had helped springboard national work in how the organisation approaches dementia care, prompted the development of easy read booklets, and would see better data collection across all nine of the charity’s hospices.
He said:
“From a small project to support our hospice here, it has had a massive influence across the whole of our organisation. The ongoing work we will continue to do will help us develop our service in the future.”
For more information visit Marie Curie Hospice Cardiff and the Vale
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