Posted on: 31 Oct 2017
October has seen the launch of a unique model of care in our hospitals which Nottingham Hospitals Charity is supporting to help frontline staff further improve the way patients and their loved ones spend their last days together.
Sarah Freer is the Lead Nurse at Nottingham Hospitals for End of Life Palliative Care, symbolised by a Swan. Sarah says:
“The SWAN logo promotes dignity in death and for me it represents an opportunity to empower all our staff to provide compassionate end of life care. It is the next step that takes us above and beyond what we currently deliver; SWAN helps us go that extra mile.
“Our approach through SWAN offers dedicated support to patients in their last days of life and to their families into bereavement and beyond. It offers choice and enables staff to think outside of the box when delivering end of life care to cater to each individual person’s needs.”
With support from Nottingham Hospitals Charity the SWAN programme is providing End of Life Care Champions who are central to ensuring staff are aware about what is available to patients at this time.
Families who have been identified as facing an end of life situation with their loved one will not just have focused support from staff but Comfort Packs made available to them containing toiletries, Memory Boxes to make and keep mementos such as handprints or hair locks of the terminally ill patient and much more besides.
Watch our SWAN video: