Clinical staff from Weston Hospicecare will present work from a collaborative project with Weston General Hospital at Hospice UK’s national conference in Telford.

In-patient unit sister Claire Fisher will co-present with Dr Fiona Chiplen on 27 and 28 November to discuss a plan from a quality improvement project between the hospice and the palliative care department at the hospital.

The ideology behind the project is to further improve patient comfort while being able to identify a patient’s phase of illness more specifically.

Claire said: “We are undertaking a collaborative quality improvement project with Emma Newbold (lead nurse palliative care) at Weston General Hospital, this is unique because it is not often that two different clinical areas carry out quality improvement projects (QIP) together.

“The integrated palliative outcome scale (IPOS) is a tool that nurses can measure how a patient is feeling and can be used to identify what stage the patient may be at. A questionnaire is completed by the patient or if the patient is unable to do so by a friend, relative or a staff member.

“IPOS is a well-established tool used across many hospices, allowing healthcare professionals to capture any changes in a patient’s health status over time, it can include family and carers.

“It also promotes improved communication between professionals and in different health settings, such as hospices, hospitals and GPs. It has also been found that it improves the patient’s emotional and psychological well-being.”

Being able to present the project to a national audience at a prestigious event is not only valuable for the hospice but also to people who live where the hospice serves.

Claire continued: “At the Hospice UK annual national conference professionals submit an abstract summarising their QIP for a poster to be presented.

“We were delighted that Weston Hospicecare was selected from 390 submissions. This is the first time the hospice has submitted to this prestigious conference.

“Having had our abstract chosen is fantastic for the hospice and the hospital but more importantly the QIP will directly benefit our patients in the present and the future.

“We already have a good working relationship with the Weston General Hospital Palliative Care Team and our GPs and frequently discuss patients who are known to the hospice who may be in hospital or looked after by our community team if they are living at home.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to share our project with other hospices and other palliative care professionals at a national forum.”