The Kirklees and Calderdale End of Life Training and Education group were successful in a bid for West Yorkshire Excellence Centre funding in 2017, in order to develop targeted end of life care training and education across care homes in Kirklees and Calderdale.

A comprehensive workbook was developed and launched in October 2018, and was positively received by key stakeholders including the Care Quality Commission, Clinical Commissioning Groups, Kirklees Council and local care homes.

Locally, there is recognition that structured support is required with a focus on quality improvement in order to support nominated members of staff from care homes in improving end of life care delivery as well as embedding sustained change. This has been requested from care home managers in order to support how the workbook is aligned to day to day practice. This provides a real opportunity to ensure the delivery of the Kirklees End of Life vision and the national Ambitions Guidance within a care home setting.

A pilot of care home end of life champions is in development, in partnership with Kirklees Council. The first cohort will undertake six half-day sessions over a period of six months, covering:

• Advance care planning;

• Communication skills;

• Recognising and supporting someone who is dying;

• Spirituality and bereavement;

• Two Quality Improvement sessions.

Care home staff at HCA level across Kirklees will be upskilled, improving knowledge of key end of life care issues and concerns in order to better support patients in the last year of life.

Through key support staff benefiting from investment in training, quality improvement activity will also be undertaken in each home in order to support improvements in two of the following areas: Nutrition and hydration, Communication skills, falls prevention, and mouth care.

Through targeted education and support, Champions taking part in this exciting initiative will be encouraged to engage with local stakeholders to share best practice and evidence quality improvement activity.