Introduction
The project examined the rationale for applying a public health approach to PELC, exploring where and how public health approaches could be applied to support local service planning and delivery.
Project Group:
Chair/Project Sponsor – Andrew Carnon, Joint Interim Director of Public Health, NHS Dumfries & Galloway
Lead Author – Michelle Gillies, Specialist Registrar Public Health
- Ann Conacher, Manager, Scottish Public Health Network
- Elaine Garman, Public Health Specialist, NHS Highland
- David Gray, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, ACCORD Hospice / NHSGGC
- Mark Hazelwood, Chief Executive, Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care
- Phil Mackie, Lead Consultant, Scottish Public Health Network
- Allyson McCollam, Joint Head of Health Improvement, NHS Borders
- Gordon McLaren, Consultant Public Health Medicine, NHS Fife
- Rebecca Patterson, Policy & Communications Manager, Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care
The final report and supporting briefings were published February 2016.
Since 2016, ScotPHN has worked with David Gray, ACCORD Hospice and Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership to examine the rationale for applying a public health approach to Palliative and End of Life Care (PELC). The collaborative project has sought to develop an ecological model for delivery of high quality patient-centred PELC. This project seeks to meet the needs, preferences and priorities of the local population on a whole system basis. A group of front line staff within the HSCP have mapped existing local services and developed a protocol to use routinely available linked data to examine, at individual level, the health and social use in the last year of life of adults in the HSCP area. The report was published in 2017.
This data model has already been used by public health colleagues in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde to help develop their health care need assessment of PELC for HSCPs. The Accord Hospice has secured funding to carry out a qualitative study that will provide vital context to the quantitative data. Combined, this will fill an important information gap that will be used to inform the design, delivery and continuous quality improvement of PELC services in the local area.