St Vincent’s first to take part in pilot scheme

Home news

Dec 29, 2010

St. Vincent’s is the first home in the country to be invited to take part in the pilot of a new NHS electronic end-of-life care register.

The pilot will explore how three Primary Care Trusts and staff at the home will be able to share information on palliative and end-of-life care and so speed up the process of exchanging information relevant to the individual resident.

With our reputation for providing quality palliative care, St. Vincent’s was an obvious choice for inclusion in the project when the PCTs, GPs and representatives of the local Trinity Hospital initially discussed the pilot scheme.

We have provision for at least 20 people requiring palliative and end-of-life care.  Kevin Henry, our manager, explained: “The aim is for all agencies involved in the care and treatment of someone to have immediate access to the same information via the computer.  This will eliminate any delays in treatment and care’.

This new on-line register is being introduced by three PCTs: Hammersmith and

Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.

Kevin added: “It is a fantastic opportunity for the home to become involved in a national pilot. This proves that all the hard work that goes into achieving a high standard in end-of-life care for our residents is being recognised”.

The aim is to eventually roll-out the project nationally as part of the NHS strategy for end-of-life care.