Care Homes
About a fifth of all deaths in the UK occur in care homes and
with our aging population, increasing dementia rates and decreased
hospital beds it is likely that this number will increase in
future. Residents in care homes are some of the most vulnerable
people in our society with multiple co-morbidities, often
decreasing cognition and complex health and social issues. Although
the majority of care homes provide good standards of care , there
are too many instances of poor outcomes for this most vulnerable
group. There is evidence that one of the most important factors in
the delivery of good care is the relationship with and support from
their GPs. Together, the care home staff and GPs can be most
effective in providing good care at the end of life, reducing
hospitalisation, and enable best support for family and relatives.
Therefore by including residents in the GPs palliative care
register and discussing them with care homes staff (for example
using the colour coding system recommended by GSF) more proactive
planning can be initiated, with a greater chance of good patient
outcomes. .
Gold
Standards Framework (GSF) in Care Homes
The National Council for Palliative Care (NCPC) has two
publications relating to care homes