Support to Care Cafe for end-of-life care

Talking about death and dying is incredibly difficult. It is something most people don’t want to think about until they must.

On Wednesday 29 June, our Palliative Care team, with support from Spiritual Care services and volunteers, hosted a Support to Care Café designed to encourage Trust colleagues to confront these difficult ideas. By doing this the teams were raising awareness of end-of-life care and the importance of being there for patients and their families during incredibly difficult times.

“This event is about raising awareness of the importance of end-of-life care. We used to hold something like this every year before the pandemic and it’s been really important and positive to engage in these conversations again.”

Staff from all areas and roles within the Trust took part in the event, which was also attended by a recently bereaved family who revealed how much of a positive difference and lasting impact the empathy and compassion shown by our teams has had on them.

With teams on hand to provide support should the conversations become upsetting or difficult, colleagues were encouraged to discuss ‘Grave Talk’ questions such as: “Are there any words, written or spoken, about death that you have found helpful?”

“We talk a lot about other aspects of our health but often people don’t want to talk about death or dying. It’s important to think about an individual’s needs and wishes and this is what the Support to Care Café is all about.”