KENNY STEELE: It takes a village to support someone to have a good death
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If there are any silver linings from the Covid pandemic, it is an increased awareness of the importance of looking after ourselves and those around us.
It has also given us an acute awareness of the fragility of life and, of course, of death being an inevitable part of life.
Highland Hospice has been supporting our community to live and die well, for 35 years, all while providing emotional and practical support for family and friends.
However, we are very aware that not all experiences of dying in the Highlands are as good as they should be. This is despite the huge dedication of health and social care professionals who are committed to doing their very best. So what needs to change?
Quite simply, we need to get better at planning for a good death and ensuring that we all work together to deliver the best experience possible for the individual and their families and friends.
End of Life Care Together is a new initiative which aims to do exactly that.
There is an old African proverb: It takes a village to raise a child. In a similar way, it takes a village to support someone to have a good death. From family and friends, GPs, care at home professionals, hospital or hospice staff, Marie Curie, Macmillan and perhaps a care home. You can see how things can get complicated.
Most of us say we would like to be cared for at home towards the end of our lives. However, 30 per cent of hospital beds are used for people in the last year of life and we know that between 20-40 per cent of these admissions could be avoided if more timely support was available to help us at home.
NHS Highland, along with Highland Hospice, is leading a partnership which includes Senior Citizens Network, Connecting Carers, Marie Curie, Macmillan, Scottish Care and others under the banner of End of Life Care Together.
What will it do? If our health is declining and we may be at risk of needing end of life care it is important that our wishes for care and support are heard.
Our wishes can then be shared with the parts of the health and social care system that we want to be involved in our care.
Trying to change such a complex and sensitive area of our health and social care system is not simple, but by working together we can make the Highlands an even more compassionate community and provide the best support possible when we need it most.
If you are interested in sharing your views we would love to hear from you. Please contact Sian Marchant, End of Life Care Together co-ordinator, by telephone on 01463 243132 or email s.marchant@highlandhospice.org.uk
• Kenny Steele is chief executive of Highland Hospice.
