A leaflet filled with advice and guidance about palliative and end of life care is being distributed across the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales to support primary care staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Janet Dunphy, from Blythe House Hospicecare in Chapel-en-le-Frith, has drafted the document to offer advice and support to local colleagues, who may be experiencing more conversations about death and dying due to the current situation.
Janet, who has over 35 years of experience as an end of life care specialist, said: ‘Originally I devised the leaflet with care home staff in mind, but having written it, I hope it will be beneficial to colleagues across the healthcare sector during the current times.
‘I just wanted to share some useful phrases that I have learnt over the years of working with dying people and their families. The leaflet has advice on having difficult conversations and answering tricky questions on subjects including what to expect when someone is dying, as well as medication and treatment issues. There is also some mental health and well-being guidance, which could not be more important now. I sincerely hope local healthcare professionals have and will find the leaflet helpful.’
Dr Louise Jordan from Baslow Health Centre said: ‘Both clinical and admin staff at the surgery have found the leaflet to be incredibly useful; we have downloaded and printed further copies from the hospice’s website. Not only do I believe it’s valuable to healthcare staff, but members of the public may find it of interest, especially during the unprecedented times we find ourselves in at the moment.’
To read and download a copy of the ‘thinking of you’ leaflet, visit: