Abstract

Building a resilient workforce with a care setting like a hospice, where there are constant demands on staff physically and emotionally is essential if compassion is to be retained and patient focussed care delivered. We decided to pilot a “low dose mindfulness” course to health care assistants, drawn from elements of more established eight-week course.

Nine health care assistants in a hospice have been recruited to attend three × 3 and 1/2 hour mindfulness training sessions over a four week period to see if it was feasible and acceptable to this group of staff who would not normally have access to such training.

Each session is conducted by a trained mindfulness teacher, supported by a second trainer and evaluated by the participants. Between the sessions the participants are encouraged to practice the techniques they had learnt at work and at home.

Full evaluation of the pilot will be presented at the conference. Each participant will have completed a self-compassion scale and an abbreviated Malscah burnout inventory pre and post training as well as participating in a semi structured interview with an independent research practitioner about their experience.

Initial response after the two training sessions that have been completed is that all the participants have enjoyed the sessions and found the training useful, but have struggled to put the training into practice at work, although have completed some of the practices in their own time at home.

It is hoped to run the course again once the pilot has been evaluated to a larger number of healthcare assistants involved in the care of patients approaching the last days of life to see if a “low dose of mindfulness training” can impact on the sense of well-being of staff. It is hoped that if the concept is proved that further research will be able to be conducted into its impact on the care delivered to patients.