Planning for Care

2nd – 6th May 2022

Demystifying death week is about shining a light on death, dying and bereavement in Scotland. Events throughout the week will give people knowledge, skills and opportunities to plan and support each other through death, dying, loss and care.

This year NHSGGC ran 13 events across the week. Some events were recorded and you can watch them below.

You can read our Summary Report for the week.

Additional Resources:

Demystifying Death Week 2022 – Resource List

Demystifying Death Week 2022 – Carers Resource List

Demystifying Death Week 2022 Events

Taking Care of Yourself When Looking After Someone

Supporting other people can take its toll, and whilst it may be the last thing on our minds, taking time for ourselves is really important. Come along for an informal chat about some ways to help recharge and promote self-care.

This session was not recorded.

Death Cafe

Let’s break the taboo, and talk about Death! This event is an informal space to talk with others about something which affects us all…so boil the kettle, raid the biscuit tin and come and join the conversation!

Please note that this is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session.

This session was not recorded.

Having Conversations That Matter

This is an experiential workshop to give participants an easy way to start thinking about what’s important to them and those around them. This event is open to any member of staff working in Health and Social Care across the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board Area. 

This session was not recorded.

Anticipatory Care Planning – An Introduction for Staff

Anticipatory Care Planning has benefits for everyone. It empowers people to tell us what really matters; it gives friends and family an opportunity to talk open and honestly; and it helps professionals to work with everyone to create the best care and treatment plans possible. During the session we will be looking at tools and resources we use across NHSGGC to help promote future planning, and how our systems work together to share information. ACP is everyone’s business, so make sure you know your role in the conversation.

You can watch the recording here:

Planning for The Future

When it comes to planning for the future, do you even know where to start? During this informal information session we will give you some ideas of things to think about and tools to help you plan, as well as telling you how this information can be shared with others so that everyone is in the know.

You can watch the recording here:

Preparing for Hospital – What You Need to Know

No one wants to go into hospital, but sometimes it is unavoidable. However there are some simple things we can do now, to try and make the experience less stressful for everyone.

Come along to learn about making “grab bags”, what paperwork to bring along and what the discharge process might look like. This event might be particularly useful for anyone supporting someone else and worried about what the future might look like.

You can watch the recording here:

What is Palliative Care?

When you think about palliative care, what is the first thing that comes to mind? “Terminal illness”? “End of life”? “Comfort Care”? Whilst all these things are true, palliative care is so much more than this. It is about improving the quality of life of anyone facing a life-limiting condition and can be beneficial at lots points during someone’s health journey. During this session, we will be busting some myths when it comes to Palliative Care and also exploring the support that the NHSGGC Specialist Palliative Care Team can provide both colleagues and patients.

Recording will be available shortly.

Power of Attorney / Making a Will

The legal parts of future planning can often be confusing, with lots of people not quite sure where to start. This session will explore how to get started with Power or Attorney and making a Will, and why both of these things are so important. There will also be an opportunity to put any questions you have to an expert. 

You can watch the part of the session about Power of Attorney here:

You can watch the part of the session about Wills here:

Future Care Planning Communication Training (also known as Anticipatory Care Planning)

This is part of our usual training programme. The session helps staff reflect on the best way to incorporate Future Care Planning conversations into their everyday practice.

This session was not recorded.

For future dates please visit our ACP Training Hub

Future Care Planning and Treatment Escalation Plans

How can we help our on-call teams to do the right thing in the middle of the night – when faced with a deteriorating patient that they have never met? Sometimes intervening may be of no benefit or could cause distress but making that judgement can be very difficult. It is possible that there is a plan but accessing it may be a challenge. We will discuss the plans that may be available, how to find them, how to improve them and how to initiate them and have the conversation. Please note, this is a recording on a session which took place as part of NHSGGC’s Realistic Medicine Week in March 2022.

Recording will be available shortly.

What Happens When Someone is Dying

Dying is a normal process, but these days the process is often surrounded in mystery. Come along to learn more about what actually happens as someone approaches the end of their life and have an opportunity to talk to some experts.

This session was not recorded.

An opportunity for staff to reflect on loss, grief and bereavement

Loss, grief, and bereavement are universal emotions.  Whilst death and dying is a natural part of life, during the past two years it is likely that many more people have been touched by experiences which may have triggered feelings associated with loss and change. 

To give staff an opportunity to reflect on both our collective and individual experiences, a new informal online event was created.  The intention was to create a space for staff to reflect and recharge.  There was no active participation necessary, rather staff are encouraged to listen and reflect on the various contemplative pieces (sessions will also have subtitles).   

Staff from across all parts of health and social care were encouraged to attend, including our colleagues in Care Homes, Primary Care and Third Sector.  

Sessions ran on MS Teams everyday during lunchtime of the week 16th-20th May 2022.

You can read our Summary Report for the session.

You can now watch the session in your own time.

Additional Resources:

Seasons of Change – Spring 2022 – Resource List

Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who don’t think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.

The campaign is brought to life by thousands of individuals and organisations who come together to provide support for carers, run activities, highlight the vital role carers play in our communities and draw attention to just how important caring is.

This year NHSGGC hosted 5 events as part of Carers Week 2022. We will also be highlighting how staff can help support carers and work with them as equal partners in care. Please follow @NHSGGCCarers on Twitter for all the latest updates.

You can read our Summary Report for the week.

Additional Resources:

Carers Week 2022 – Resource List

Taking Care of Yourself When Looking After Someone

Supporting other people can take its toll, and whilst it may be the last thing on our minds, taking time for ourselves is really important. Come along for an informal chat about some ways to help recharge and promote self-care.

This session was not recorded.

Death Cafe

Let’s break the taboo, and talk about Death! This event is an informal space to talk with others about something which affects us all…so boil the kettle, raid the biscuit tin and come and join the conversation!

Please note that this is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session.

This session was not recorded.

Having Conversations That Matter

This is an experiential workshop to give participants an easy way to start thinking about what’s important to them and those around them. This event is open to any member of staff working in Health and Social Care across the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board Area. 

This session was not recorded.

Planning for The Future

When it comes to planning for the future, do you even know where to start? During this informal information session we will give you some ideas of things to think about and tools to help you plan, as well as telling you how this information can be shared with others so that everyone is in the know.

This was a repeat of the session run during Demystifying Death Week. You can watch it here:

Preparing for Hospital – What You Need to Know

No one wants to go into hospital, but sometimes it is unavoidable. However there are some simple things we can do now, to try and make the experience less stressful for everyone.

Come along to learn about making “grab bags”, what paperwork to bring along and what the discharge process might look like. This event might be particularly useful for anyone supporting someone else and worried about what the future might look like.

This was a repeat of the session run during Demystifying Death Week. You can watch it here:

Following the success of our Spring 2022 session, Seasons of Change made a return in November 2022!

Staff had another opportunity to reflect of the loss, grief and bereavement they have experienced with a new immerse session running across lunchtimes (12pm-2pm) from 7th-11th November 2022 on MS Teams.

Staff from across all parts of health and social care were encouraged to attend, including our colleagues in Care Homes, Primary Care and Third Sector.

You can watch the session yourself below. Please be aware this session touches upon the topics of suicide and sudden death.

To Absent Friends gives people across Scotland an excuse to remember, to tell stories, to celebrate and to reminisce about people we love who have died. To Absent Friends, a People’s Festival of Storytelling and Remembrance is an opportunity to revive lost traditions and create new ones. The festival is supported and organised by the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care.

The festival happens every year from 1st to 7th November.

Find out more about past events for To Absent Friends Week on their website.

Pre-Week Events

On the 12th September 2022 we held some informal sessions for community groups and care homes to come together to learn more about the week, share ideas for events and find out how the grant application process works.

These were both really successful and we look forward to see what everyone plans for November!

Events During the Week

We will be hosted 4 events throughout the week – please see below for details. We also be launched our autumnal Seasons of Change on the last day of the festival.

1st and 3rd November 2022

Having Conversations That Matter

This is an experiential workshop to give participants an easy way to start thinking about what’s important to them and those around them. This event is open to any member of staff working in Health and Social Care across the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board Area. 

We hope to continue running these sessions in the future.

2nd November 2022

Taking Care of Yourself When Looking After Someone

Supporting other people can take its toll, and whilst it may be the last thing on our minds, taking time for ourselves is really important. Come along for an informal chat about some ways to help recharge and promote self-care.

4th November 2022

Death Cafe

Let’s break the taboo, and talk about Death! This event is an informal space to talk with others about something which affects us all…so boil the kettle, raid the biscuit tin and come and join the conversation!

7th November 2022

Seasons of Change

The launch of our autumnal Seasons of Change was on the last day of the To Absent Friends Festival. Please see the Seasons of Change tab for more information.

In the lead up to Carers Rights Day on the 24th November 2022, we hosted events for both staff and the public to raise awareness of unpaid carers and how we can ensure everyone is supported.

Sessions of the Public

Preparing for Hospital – What You Need to Know

No one wants to go into hospital, but sometimes it is unavoidable. However there are some simple things we can do now, to try and make the experience less stressful for everyone.

Come along to learn about making “grab bags”, what paperwork to bring along and what the discharge process might look like. This event might be particularly useful for anyone supporting someone else and worried about what the future might look like.

You can watch the recording here:

Sessions for Staff

Involving and Supporting Carers

This session looked at the legal duties of staff working in acute, community and/or primary care. In particular discussed how staff can encourage carers to recognise their role, how to refer to support services and the legal duty staff have to involve carers in discharge planning. We also mentioned some of the systems which help us record information about any known carers and share this with other services.

We are hoping to re-run these session in 2023 for more staff. If you would like to organise a session for your team or service please get in touch at ACPSupport@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.

Demystifying Death Week returned in 2023, bigger than ever! There are so many things we wanted to share with you, we decided to celebrate across two weeks instead of one. This also coincided with Dying Matters Week in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This year we were thrilled to have partnered up with other services and local organisation to co-deliver some of these events.

A report of the week will follow soon.

Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who don’t think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.

The campaign is brought to life by thousands of individuals and organisations who come together to provide support for carers, run activities, highlight the vital role carers play in our communities and draw attention to just how important caring is.

This year we took part in 6 events across the week and partnering with some amazing organisations and different team. We also highlighted how staff can help support carers and work with them as equal partners in care.

What Matters To You Sessions

This year Carers Week coincided with What Matters To You Day celebrations and we were delighted to be take part in their lunchtime webinar series.

Understanding and Supporting Unpaid Carers

This session looked at the legal duties of staff working in acute, community and/or primary care. In particular discussed how staff can encourage carers to recognise their role, how to refer to support services and the legal duty staff have to involve carers in discharge planning. We also mentioned some of the systems which help us record information about any known carers and share this with other services.

Anticipatory Care Planning

Anticipatory Care Planning has benefits for everyone. It empowers people to tell us what really matters; it gives friends and family an opportunity to talk open and honestly; and it helps professionals to work with everyone to create the best care and treatment plans possible. During the session we looked at tools and resources we use across NHSGGC to help promote future planning, and how our systems work together to share information. ACP is everyone’s business, so make sure you know your role in the conversation.

A recording of these sessions will be available soon.

How To Slow Down When Someone Dies

Monday 5th June 6.30pm-7.45pm and Friday 9th June 10.30am-11.45am

This year we partnered with Pushing Up The Daises, Caledonia Funeral Aid and Social Security Scotland to host sessions which aimed to shine a light on how people can attend to their own wellbeing following the death of a significant person, especially one they may have cared for. During the event we discussed

• ideas for helping you to start your grieving process in a way that best serves you and the people around you,
• the pros and cons of being actively involved yourself with arrangements for burial or cremation and also perhaps the person’s body,
• practical information about the Funeral Support Payment which help people with certain benefits and tax credits to pay for a funeral,
• the laws around death and funerals, and
• why your choices are really important to help your grieving and for your long term well-being.

A recording of the session will be available soon.

Preparing for Hospital – What You Need to Know

No one wants to go into hospital, but sometimes it is unavoidable. However there are some simple things we can do now, to try and make the experience less stressful for everyone.

Come along to learn about making “grab bags”, what paperwork to bring along and what the discharge process might look like. This event might be particularly useful for anyone supporting someone else and worried about what the future might look like.

You can watch a recording of a previous session here:

Carers Engagement Session – Preparing For Hospital Checklist

During this event we heard from staff, carers and members of the public about the development of a new hospital checklist based on the information provided in our “Preparing for Hospital” session. We hope to launch this resource soon.

We were delighted to be celebrating To Absent Friends again this year!

We hosted some events:

Death Cafe

It was great to be able to share stories with colleagues and support one another. If you would like to attend one of our Death Cafes sign up to our mailing list to hear about new dates.

Let’s Talk About…Bereavement Through Suicide

Stories From 88 Days on a Tandem Around the British Coastline

In January 2022, Xani lost his sister, Alice, to suicide. Since then he and his family have been navigating their own grief journey, supported by a number of different charities including SOBS (Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide).

In the summer of 2023, Xani decided to embark on a mammoth cycling expedition as a tribute to Alice and a way to reach out to others who have been affected by suicide, whilst also raising money for some great organisations. Over 88 days he covered over 3500 miles on a tandem around the British coastline, each day joined by a new person affected by suicide. Together as they pedalled, they shared the story of their experience and the wisdom they had gained. Not only this, he has also managed to raise over £36,000 for both SOBS and PAPYRUS.

From his time on the tandem, Xani has some incredible memories but has also gained a wealth of knowledge about the impact of grief and the different ways people begin to rebuild their lives after tragedy. During this session Xani shared his own story and reflections – from the importance of conversations to meaningful ways to honour those who have died.

A recording of the session will be available soon.

This session dealt with themes that some people may find upsetting. Please look after yourself and reach out to support if you need it.

Samaritan’s Helpline – 116 123 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week.)

Cruse Scotland Helpline (Bereavement Support) – 0808 802 6161 (Monday to Friday 9am – 8pm, weekends 10am – 2pm.)

If you need immediate help please call 999.

EASE Course

During this week we finished cohort 2 of our End of Life Aid Skills for Everyone (EASE) course and began cohort 3. If you are interested in talking part in a future course then please visit our training hub for more information.

Other Events Across Scotland

There were lost of other events happening across the country including Death Cafes, Remembrance Teas and sessions looking to reimagine the final days and hours we spend with people who have died.

This year there were lots of online events too – check out the Full National Programme here

We are delighted to celebrate Carers Rights Day once again and we have planned events for both staff and the public to raise awareness of unpaid carers and how we can ensure everyone is supported.

Sessions for the Public (staff also welcome)

Plan More, Stress Less

Thinking about the future can be daunting, however if we leave these conversations until the last minute we can cause even more stress! Come along to learn some simple things we can do now, to try and prepare for any future crisis.

In this session we will be talking about everything from thinking about who could make decisions on your behalf, what paperwork we might need and also what creature comforts would you want if you had to go into hospital. Whether you are worried that a hospital admission may be likely in the near future, or are someone who likes to be in control, this session is for you! This event might be particularly useful for anyone supporting someone else and worried about what the future might look like.

You can choose to attend our day session or evening session. Both of these sessions are online. Click on your preferred date and time to book.

This event is open to staff and members of the public.

Sessions for Health and Social Care Staff

Involving and Supporting Carers

This session looks at the legal duties of staff working in acute, community and/or primary care. In particular we discuss how staff can encourage carers to recognise their role, how to refer to support services and the legal duty staff have to involve carers in discharge planning. We also mention some of the systems which help us record information about any known carers and share this with other services.

This session will take place on Thursday 23rd November, 12.30pm-1.30pm on MS Teams.

We are hoping to re-run these session in 2024 for more staff. If you would like to organise a session for your team or service please get in touch at ACPSupport@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

We are launching our brand new Power of Attorney Lunch & Learn Session as part of the national celebrations and awareness raising activity.

Power of Attorney is a topic which can confuse both staff and the public, with no one quite sure where to start. This session will explore how to get started with Power or Attorney and why this is so important.

This session will take place on Monday 27th November 12 noon – 12.30pm and is open to both staff and members of the public.

We are hoping to re-run this session in 2024. If you would like to organise a session for your team or service please get in touch at ACPSupport@ggc.scot.nhs.uk