One of the most important duties of many of those working in the healthcare sector, is undoubtedly providing specialised care to people in their last days of life. 

The term ‘end-of-life care’ typically refers to the support given to people who are in the last year of their life. It is about providing the recipient of such care with the support that they require in order to live as well as possible in their remaining days, and to die with dignity. 

End-of-life care vs palliative care 

There can sometimes be confusion as to the exact differences between end-of-life care and palliative care; the answer is that palliative care is the kind of care typically provided soon after the given person first learns that they have a life-limiting, otherwise known as ‘terminal’, illness. It focuses on relieving an individual’s pain, symptoms and stress caused by serious illnesses.

End-of-life care, meanwhile, is a type of palliative care provided to those who are close to the end of life. 

Who is typically responsible for end-of-life care? 

This form of care can be provided by a range of health and social care workers, depending on the requirements of the patient. Such professionals can include hospital doctors and nurses, community nurses, GPs, hospice staff, healthcare workers and counsellors. 

In the case of a person being cared for at home or in a care home, it is their GP who has overall responsibility for their care. However, in these instances, community nurses will usually make home visits, and friends and relatives may also play a significant part in the person’s care. 

How can our own training help you better support a patient at the end of life? 

Here at Actionable Intelligence, we are pleased to provide access to a course – which can be delivered in a classroom, as well as remotely via Zoom – that will equip you to better care for someone during their final year of life. 

Our end-of-life care training is designed to benefit all healthcare professionals who would like to develop their understanding of how to best support someone at life’s end. 

To this end, the course draws upon a real-life case study to take the student through such aspcts as the principles of end-of-life care, effective communication in preparation for end of life, and how patients and their families can be best supported at end of life. 

By taking on this end-of-life care training course, you will also learn more about national policies of relevance to this type of care, as well as the principles of care after death. 

To find out more about this course and to book your place, please do not hesitate to complete and submit our online contact form; alternatively, you can call 0330 133 4195.