TY - JOUR T1 - Improving psychosocial care: the way forward JF - BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care JO - BMJ Support Palliat Care SP - 256 LP - 256 DO - 10.1136/bmjspcare-2011-000105.158 VL - 1 IS - 2 AU - Karen Clarke AU - Tricia Wass Y1 - 2011/09/01 UR - http://spcare.bmj.com/content/1/2/256.2.abstract N2 - Introduction A review identified the need to: ▶ Create a strategy for delivering psychosocial care▶ Develop psychosocial skills▶ Provide counselling. Aim Undertake a pilot to ▶ Allow time and give value to the psychological well-being of patients/families▶ Enable staff to recognise emotional distress and empower them to act upon it▶ Enable difficult conversations to be handled confidently and sensitively. Method▶ Recruited six, part time counsellors▶ Reflective sessions to share experiences▶ Introduction of 10 Psychosocial Care Champions▶ Questionnaire to establish a baseline▶ Training in providing psychosocial care▶ Clinical supervision – supervisor and supervisee training, developing documentation▶ Innovative training of volunteers and non-clinical staff in psychosocial skills. Results▶ Psychosocial Champions – encourage informal, regular conversations about psychosocial needs▶ Counsellors provided a safe space to express and explore patients' sense of loss▶ “Hospice brand” brought familiarity enabling counsellors to develop therapeutic relationships in short timeframe▶ Questionnaire (42% response) revealed:▶ Time and capacity – an ongoing challenge▶ Respondents were able to:▶ Identify psychological/social needs and own limitations▶ Develop trusting, non-judgemental relationships with patients/carers. Discussion▶ Insufficient capacity to improve psychosocial data – next phase▶ Questionnaire will be repeated to assess the progress made. Conclusion This pilot phase has identified the need to have a full time resource driving psychosocial care who will: ▶ Ensure specialist and general psychosocial support for patients/families is available at all times▶ Continue to develop the MDT▶ Create a culture where people feel confident to try new skills▶ Ongoing training and development▶ Develop a tool kit based on the findings from the questionnaire▶ Maintain the integration of bereavement services▶ Increase external liaison with other services▶ Explore the possibility of income generation.Conclusion ER -