UK Palliative Medicine Association | APM Online

COVID-19

Dear colleagues,

The COVID-19 outbreak currently being experienced around the world is unprecedented and requires everyone to work together to contribute to the health and well-being of populations as well as ensure that appropriate guidance and sharing of good practice occurs. This is essential in order to support the care of patients at the end of their lives or who are significantly unwell as the result of both COVID-19 or other possibly life-limiting illnesses.

This guidance, which is been prepared for secondary care initially and is not intended to be comprehensive, has been prepared and collated locally by the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group and the Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland. While it is not nationally endorsed by the National Health Service, it may be useful to colleagues throughout the country when preparing their own guidance.

Please feel free to use, adapt and share this guidance appropriately, acknowledging where specific individuals have been identified as contributing to discrete parts of the guidance.

This will be a ‘live’ document that will be updated, expanded and adapted as further contributions are received and in line with changing national guidance. The most current version of the guidance document will be available on the Association for Palliative Medicine website Home Page at all times. It is advised that you always check that you are referring to the most current version. Please do not share the guidance on social media, as it contains some information that may be distressing to the public if not presented in a sensitive way with appropriate opportunity for discussion and explanation.

This guidance is subject to change as developments occur. Every effort will be made to keep this guidance up to date. Additional information can be found at on the Government website.

As far as is possible in such a short period of time, the information contained within this document has been checked by experts from across the palliative care profession. However, neither the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group nor the Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland can accept any responsibility for errors or omissions in this document.

Please click here to COVID-19 Guidance in Word format

Please click here for COVID-19 Guidance in PDF format

Areas updated in version 3 are:

· Separated guidance for managing mild to moderate and severe breathlessness

· Updated registration of death and Coroner guidance

· Added faith deaths guidance

· Added self-care guidance

Please note that unfortunately we are unable to respond to all queries that we are receiving at the moment. We have compiled a list of websites and useful resources for healthcare professionals for you to refer to. Please click here to view.

Dr Justin Amery has also kindly produced some YouTube videos suitable for the public. Please click here to view.

Should you have any questions or wish to provide the APM with any further resources that you feel would be beneficial, please contact Compleat Secretariat in the first instance.

**Last Updated 6th April 2020**

APM Workforce Report 2018

The 2018 Workforce Report has now been published.

Please click here to view.

Should you have any comments or questions, please contact the APM Secretariat

New APM Web Materials Page for Physician Assisted Suicide

Following the recent announcement from the President of the RCP, Prof Bod Goddard on the 9th January that the RCP will be surveying all of their members and fellows about their views on assisted dying, the APM have created a new web page full of guides and links to help ensure people can make an informed decision regarding the subject.

Please click here to access the page

Night, weekend and bank holiday Specialist Palliative Care Services

This guidance document produced by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the Association of Palliative Medicine (APM) recommends levels of Specialist Palliative Care (SPC) medical and nursing staffing for hospital, community and hospice settings at night, at weekends and on bank holidays. The guidance is a response to a growing understanding, within all parts of health and social care, that it is not enough to provide our services in business hours.

Click here – Specialist Palliative Care night weekend and bank holiday working

What is Palliative Medicine?

Palliative medicine provides clinical leadership, care and support to prevent and relieve suffering for people with life-limiting and life-threatening illness.

• Its diagnostic and therapeutic priorities focus on meeting every individual patient’s goals through shared decision-making with them and those important to them
• It is practiced both as part of multidisciplinary palliative care teams and in partnership with other relevant specialties to deliver individualised, holistic care
• It is a medical specialty recognised by the respective nations’ Royal Colleges of Physicians

Palliative Medicine’s specific expertise is in:
• Assessing and managing physical, psychological and spiritual symptoms and in mitigating distress
• Clinical analysis of and decision-making in complex scenarios, such as when a patient’s clinical needs, preferences and interests are finely balanced and may require skilled application of relevant ethical and legal guidance
• Skilled communication about and co-ordination of care, especially at disease transitions and boundaries between care settings
• Working with partners, colleagues and organisations across multiple sectors to provide excellent multidisciplinary care for patients and those important to them
• Care and support to those important to the patient, including facilitating their bereavement care

The Association

The Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland (APM) is the world’s largest representative body for doctors practicing or interested in Palliative Medicine, with a growing membership of over 1,000. We welcome international members.
• Full and Associate membership is open to doctors practicing or interested in palliative medicine
• Student membership is open to undergraduate medical students
• Affiliate membership is being developed for other clinicians with an interest in palliative medicine
We work in strategic alliance with those who can contribute to achieving our vision, supporting our values and delivering our aims.

It has come to our attention that there may be a problem with sending our communications to the APM membership via Dotmailer, i.e. e-Bulletin. We have learned over the past month that some APM members are not aware of these communications.

Having looked into the situation, it does appear that some IT Departments are blocking these emails as the email address has not been “White Listed” with them, which in turn results in the email being blocked.

Could you please ensure that you inform your IT Department to “White List” the following email address:

Association for Palliative Medicine communications@apmonline.org.uk

Click here for “How to Whitelist Emails”

Could you please also ensure that you inform the APM if your email address changes.

Join the APM today

Join our growing community – The Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland (APM) is the world’s largest representative body for doctors practicing or interested in Palliative Medicine, with a growing membership of over 1,000. We welcome international members.

• Full and Associate membership is open to doctors practicing or interested in palliative medicine
• Student membership is open to undergraduate medical students
• Affiliate membership is being developed for other clinicians with an interest in palliative medicine
We work in strategic alliance with those who can contribute to achieving our vision, supporting our values and delivering our aims.

Membership Benefits

Networks
APM e-Bulletin
Membership of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC)
Palliative Medicine journal
BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care journal
Study days and other meetings
APM awards

JOIN or

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