“MOST people do have an idea about what they want - it’s just no one’s ever asked them before. That’s why this service is important. Without it, many of the patients I’ve supported with a life limiting illness might have fallen through the cracks.”
Vicci Spires is part of an innovative new team at Bradford’s Marie Curie Hospice, identifying people with life limiting or terminal conditions who need support but haven’t yet received it.
This week is Hospice Care Week - highlighting the staff and volunteers who provide end of life care.
Vicci, a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Marie Curie, tells us about her role supporting people in Bradford communities.
Originally from Lincolnshire, Vicci has worked within the Marie Curie Bradford’s Early Identification and Advanced Care Planning service team since it launched in February. Working with local GP surgeries, she works to identify people who have life limiting or terminal conditions, such as heart disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Hospice Care, she says, is a style of care, rather than something that happens in a specific place. It might be provided in a hospice building - to inpatients or day visitors - like the Marie Curie Hospice on Maudsley Street, but it can also be provided at home or in care homes, enabling care to be tailored to people’s needs and preferences.
Vicci identifies people with life limiting or terminal conditions who need support but haven’t yet received it.
Says Vicci: “ I work with advance care planning or future planning in palliative care, making sure that everything a person wants from their remaining years is documented. It doesn’t necessarily mean that person is terminal or at end of life, I’m going beyond that and looking at increasing quality of life in the last years.
“I help verbalise and document people’s choices with detailed information about where they want to be cared for, what treatments they do and don’t want, and I include family in those conversations where required, too. I make sure someone’s personality and preferences are in our system, not just all the medical notes.”
She adds: “I also help people document funeral planning. Not necessarily which funeral director, but do they want flowers? Do they want songs? Have they thought about how documenting these decisions can help the family around them?
“Many people have already thought about this, I just support them to write it down. So later, the family or nurse has the information they need about their wishes and it makes the decision process less stressful later down the line.”
'I make sure someone's personality and preferences are in our system' says Vicci. (Image: Marie Curie)
Marie Curie research reveals that almost one in three people are dying without the care and support they need. And the problem is not going away - it’s growing fast. Marie Curie’s mission is to close the gap in end of life care by evolving its services to provide more co-ordinated care in people’s homes and communities. By supporting more people in the place they call home, Marie Curie will help to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions at the end of life.
Reflecting on her first six months, Vicci says: “I’ve worked with many patients since the service launched and so far, a large number are from deprived areas. They say things like ‘I’ve never had anyone ask me my wishes before’ but, the biggest thing I’ve encountered is that most people do have an idea about what they want, it’s just no one’s ever asked them before, and they don’t know what to do with that information. That’s why this service is important. Without it, many of the patients I’ve supported with a life limiting illness might have fallen through the cracks.”
Vicci says she chose the role “because it really resonated with me”.
“I’m a huge advocate for advance care planning, avoiding crisis at the end of life and ensuring those difficult conversations are had earlier - because they don’t get any easier when somebody’s stressed, poorly and in hospital.
“I especially want to ensure people with long-term conditions don’t get missed in the system. Cancer gets a lot of focus; there’s a lot of support and information out there, online resources and so on, but for people with something like COPD, heart failure, and other long-term conditions, it’s hard. They might not know where to find information detailing what might happen at different stages of their condition.
“Marie Curie, as an organisation, is one of the best I’ve ever worked for. And I think we are genuinely innovative. The fact that Marie Curie is making brave choices and trying new ways to support people at the end of life, is amazing. And it’s really empowering.”
* Marie Curie provides expert care and support in people’s homes, within the community, at hospices and over the phone. Visit mariecurie.org.uk/services/north-east-and-yorkshire or call (01274) 337000