Hospice Friendly Hospitals Programme
Some 30,000 people die in Ireland annually. While the majority of people would like to die at home, two-thirds of all deaths occur in some form of residential setting and 40% of all deaths occur in acute hospitals.
Hospice friendly Hospitals focus on the needs of patients, relatives and the staff who care for them. They address all issues related to end-of-life care in a coordinated way regardless of whether death is expected or unexpected.
The aims of the HFH Programme are:
- To develop comprehensive standards for all hospitals in relation to end-of-life care.
- To develop the capacity of acute & community hospitals to meet and exceed these standards.
- To change the overall culture in hospitals & residential facilities in relation to all aspects of dying, death and bereavement.
- To achieve these aims the work of the programme is focused around four key themes: Integrated Care; Communications; Dignity and Design and Patient Autonomy.
Children’s Hospice Home Care Service
It is estimated that there are nearly 1,400 children living with life-limiting illness in Ireland, and over 350 die each year. Children’s hospice/palliative care needs are not the same as those of adults.
From the final report of ‘A Palliative Care Needs Assessment for Children’ it emerged, not surprisingly, that when the end is approaching, what most families of very sick children want is for their child to be able to die at home in his or her own bedroom, surrounded by a loving family, familiar toys and pets.
To facilitate this the Irish Hospice Foundation is working closely with the HSE on the development of a Children’s Hospice Home Care Programme. An estimated E2.25 million need to be raised over the next 3 years to help fulfil on the commitment to this programme.