A county wide education project to train professionals on how to give better care to seriously ill children has been launched in Lancashire this week.
Developed by Derian House Children’s Hospice based in Chorley, the project aims to give hundreds of the area’s sickest children a better experience no matter where they are being cared for, with training available for doctors, nurses, health professionals, social workers and teachers.
The project has been made possible thanks to £100,000 of matched funding by NHS England and will be hosted by Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board.
Kirsty Blackburn, education manager at Derian House, said: “People often misunderstand palliative care to relate solely to end-of-life care.
"Palliative care is an approach that is focused on improving the quality of life for a baby child or young person with a life threatening or life limiting diagnosis.
“The modules should provide a good understanding of ways we can enhance care for children and their families.”
Both face-to-face and online learning courses will train professionals in how to communicate sensitively, how to spot symptoms of worsening conditions, how to put a plan in place for child’s care at the end of their life, and what practical steps to take after a child has died.
The initiative will also include working with the Kentown Children’s Palliative Care Programme, training its nurses so that they can deliver the education package to other health professionals across the patch and spread good practice.
Catherine Randall, chief nurse at Derian House, added: “We are proud to be involved with this fantastic project that aims to improve the quality of the care our children and young people receive no matter where they are.
“Our specialists at Derian House are honoured to share best practice with professionals from across Lancashire and South Cumbria to ensure children and their families receive the care they deserve.”
There are 200 guaranteed spaces for professionals who want to take advantage of the training, and those interested can book a space by contacting Derian House.
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