Background MND Association regional staff were often asked to deliver MND talks in care homes. Frequently on arriving to present, the number of care workers was much fewer than expected or, no-one was available at all due to work pressures.

Aims To develop a resource:

• accessible at point of need

• to meet the learning requirements of care workers or those in similar roles

• flexible around work commitments.

To review its effectiveness.

Methods

• Project development group with representatives from MDT professions and hospice sector

• Collaborative face to face and remote content development

• Content to be practical advice, based on professional opinion

• Flexible structure to address issues of time poverty and staff turnover

• Free

• Each section to cover a symptom management/knowledge area

• Opportunity to complete over a number of days/weeks

• Certificate of completion

• Reviewed via an online survey and course monitoring data.

Results Development of a free online course hosted by University of Northampton. Participants:

• 97% agreed/strongly agreed that the module had been organised in a way that helped them to learn

• 68% felt that they had significantly increased their knowledge of MND and a further 30% believed they had increased their knowledge

• Following the course 94% felt more confident about caring for someone living with MND.

Reasons for completing the course varied: 47% indicated they were caring for someone with MND, and 32% were undertaking it purely for professional development. A significant proportion of completions were outside core hours: 31% 7 pm – midnight and 11% midnight – 7 am; a requirement not easily accommodated by training. The course has been used to provide wholesale staff training.

Conclusion This module has approximately 700 completions to date. It provides a comprehensive, practical introduction to MND and has been well received by participants. It could usefully be employed within hospices to support the delivery of outstanding care.