Trust marks five years since the Purple Rose model of care was introduced
The Purple Rose End of Life Care Plan was introduced in the Trust five years ago this month. It reflects the five priorities in end of life care, as recommended by Leadership Alliance of Care of the Dying Person.
When someone approaches the end of their life it can be an intensely emotional and confusing time for them and their loved ones. The Purple Rose model of care enables staff to work closely with patients and their families to embrace and accommodate individual wishes. The model also provides practical support for families, by removing inconvenient worries about such things as parking and visiting hours, allowing loved ones more time to focus on each other.
This initiative was developed following feedback from relatives and staff about the important things to consider when caring for patients in the last days of their life. It has allowed the Trust to improve support provided for families into bereavement and beyond. The Purple Rose model of care enables staff to think creatively when delivering end of life care that caters for individual needs and wishes.
Ward staff have access to Purple Rose resource boxes that bring together practical resources and information that allows them to provide the best end of life care for patients and their loved ones. Within the Trust, the care plan has been audited each year since its adoption to ensure it evolves and improves so teams in the Trust can continue to offer the best end of life care for patients and their families.
The Purple Rose model of care is incorporated in training programmes so all staff are up-to-date on how best to care for patients and their loved ones at such an emotional time. This ensures all who deliver end-of-life care do so in a compassionate and consistent way across all hospital and community teams.
According to Liz Monaghan, Lead Nurse for Palliative and End of Life Care: “When someone is dying we only have one chance to get things right for a patient and their family. I’m proud of the way the Trust has introduced and embedded the Purple Rose model of care. Its impact can be seen in the number of compliments colleagues receive from families about the compassionate and sensitive care provided when a loved one is at the end of their life.
However, we know that there are always improvements we can make and we want to use this five year milestone to ask both staff and relatives to reflect on end of life care so we can continue to improve the way end of life care is provided across the Trust.”