Margaret Kerr Companions - NHS Borders

NHS Borders has been successful in their application to Helpforce, an organisation that works in partnership with NHS Boards to help fund and transform volunteering in and around hospital settings, for funding working in partnership with Marie Curie for an 18 month programme.  There are a total of 7 test sites throughout the UK who will be involved within this programme. 

The recommendation is that the project is revised to enable Margaret Kerr Companions to provide virtual / telephone support to patients and those important to them in the last days of life.  Providing emotional and practical support to bereaved families in the aftermath of their loved ones dying, supporting the alleviation of social isolation often felt by those important to the patient.  Signposting the bereaved to other support services. 

Work in support of this revised plan has been underway and several actions already taken:

• support from Clinical Lead within NHS Borders to proceed with new approach
• role description, referral process, information governance and data protection requirements confirmed
• new ways of working discussed with volunteers already recruited and one volunteer selected to trial new approach and provide feedback
• online training identified resource via Helpforce Volunteer Learning Passport to support volunteers with foundation knowledge and understanding of the role

Summary of Role: 

The Companion Volunteer Service provides 1:1 Virtual Companion Service to patients and those important to them in the last days and hours of life. In the first instance the service will be piloted within the Margaret Kerr Unit (MKU), thereafter rolled out to the acute wards engaging with the MKU Hub.

Training:

• Devised in-house training specialising in End of Life Care

• Core Mandatory Volunteer Training Day

• Understanding Palliative and End of Life Care

• Dementia Informed Practice

• Virtual Role play Scenarios  

Boundaries of role: 

Volunteers are recruited to enhance the palliative care services across the board.  Companions will volunteer as part of the team and take direction from the appropriate Health Professionals and Project Support Officer. 

Safe systems of work are step by step instruction on how to complete a task safely. Volunteers must follow all safe systems of work they have been given and must never attempt any tasks that they have not been trained to do.

Companions are NOT responsible for: 

• personal Care of patients

• manual Handling of patients

Please ensure you speak to a member of staff / Project Support Officer:

• if any public protection issues arise 

• feeling uncomfortable within your role 

• report any physical / verbal abuse 

• only support patients that have been patient assessed by the Palliative Care team 

• escalate any concerns, including any perceived changes to patient condition, to nursing staff

Project Support Officer will inform the volunteer of patients that have been assessed and would benefit from a Companion. 

Patient Confidentiality / Information Sharing: 

• volunteers will be issued with patient’s name, family / carers names and relevant information required to carry out the role.  This information is strictly confidential
• if a patient discloses any adult / child protection information please inform a member of staff / Project Support Officer 
• volunteers must adhere to procedures when reporting in and out whilst volunteering

Volunteers will receive induction training, reimbursement of expenses incurred and ongoing support from, EOLCV Project Officer , Palliative Care Team and Voluntary Services Manager.  Regular debrief sessions will be organised with the Project Support Officer who will also make you aware of the relevant support services available to volunteers.

NHS Borders (Internal)

Third Sector Organisations (External)