Every death is unique and every death, even when it is expected, is deeply emotional. At Naas General Hospital, we are committed to making sure that patients who die in our hospital experience comfort and dignity. Our End of Life Care Coordinator, Lisa White, works to ensure that good quality compassionate end-of-life care is central to Naas General Hospital.

Hospice Friendly Hospital

Our hospital strives towards full implementation of the Hospice Friendly Hospital’s Quality Standards for End-of-Life Care in Hospitals.

The Hospice Friendly Hospitals Programme is an initiative of the Irish Hospice Foundation, in partnership with the Health Service Executive (HSE). The programme aims to ensure that end-of-life, palliative and bereavement care is central to the everyday business of hospitals.

In our hospital, we aim to provide the highest standard of end-of-life care for all of our patients and their families, and the Hospice Friendly Hospitals Programme looks at how we can continually work to improve this care. We are working on all aspects of end-of-life care in our hospital, from the education and training of our staff to audits and research.

Besides this, we are also very focused on improving the environment for our patients and their families, by creating dedicated family-friendly rooms on our wards. We are working towards ensuring that in delivering end-of-life care services, we put the welfare and dignity of the dying person, the need to provide information with sensitivity and bring comfort to loved ones, to the forefront of our thoughts.

The Final Journeys Programme

This is a one-day workshop facilitated to staff which improves end-of-life care by empowering staff to be competent and compassionate when dealing with patients and families at the end of life.

Our Solas Rooms and Family Rooms

2013 saw the completion and opening of three Solas Rooms dedicated to end-of-life care. The Solas rooms provide tranquil surroundings to care for our patients with privacy, dignity and respect.

These rooms are places of peace and sanctuary and allow patients and their families to have precious moments together in their final days. The Solas rooms were kindly funded by the ‘Friends of Naas Hospital’.

Six family rooms were developed and furnished for the comfort of families during the end-of-life care of their loved ones.

Resources

• When someone you care about is dying in hospital - this online booklet published by the HSE provides information and advice for families going through a challenging and emotional time.

Children

• Death: Helping Children Understand. This booklet published by Barnardos aims to give some explanation of how children at various stages of development understand death. It will help those who are faced with the difficult task of talking to children about death and dying.
• Death: Helping Teenagers. This booklet published by Barnardos explores some of the issues for teenagers when they are dealing with a death. It may be read in conjunction with Barnardos’ booklet ‘Death: Helping Children Understand’ mentioned above.
• The Irish Childhood Bereavement Network - A website that provides helpful information and factsheets for those caring for or working with bereaved children, young people and their families.

Bereavement

• Bereavement Book 2022 FINAL.indd (healthpromotion.ie) -This booklet ‘Bereavement: When someone close dies’ published by the HSE. This booklet was developed to provide an overview of the practical and emotional issues that bereaved people may face when someone close dies.

Irish Hospice Foundation Website Links

• https://hospicefoundation.ie/
• https://hospicefoundation.ie/i-need-help/i-am-bereaved/