Dying patients to have ‘compassion signs’ on beds
PATIENTS who are dying will have “compassion” symbols placed near their beds in a number of hospitals to warn staff and visitors to be respectful.
The initiative has been devised to provide further comfort to those receiving end-of-life care and their families. It is now operating in about 50 wards in Kent, including at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital.
The scheme was put forward by East Kent Hospitals Trust and the Pilgrim’s Hospice. The compassion signs are designed using the hospice’s logo, which features a pair of hands gently embracing a person’s face.
They can be displayed at the end of a bed or on a curtain. They can be put on a door if a patient is receiving palliative care in a separate room.
Steve James, a hospital spokesman, said the signs were only put up with the approval of the patient and relatives.
Mr James said: “It would never be done without consultation with the patient and is really about raising awareness among other visitors to the ward that someone is receiving end-of-life care and to encourage an atmosphere of quiet dignity and respect in that area. Some palliative care patients do go into separate rooms while others choose to stay on the wards and the signs are put up where it is considered most appropriate.”
The symbols are also used on bags that contain the clothing of patients who have died which are awaiting collection by their relatives.
Mr James added: “There are also posters and leaflets on wards and in departments to explain what they mean
‘Those of us in the NHS have a duty to ensure that our patients are cared for with dignity until they die’
and we are spreading the message through our website and social media.”
Sue Cook, consultant nurse for palliative care, said: “Those of us that work in the NHS have a duty to ensure that our patients are cared for with dignity, respect and compassion until they die.”
The compassion project was funded through a legacy donation from the family of Pat Morley, a past Kent and Canterbury Hospital senior matron and Pilgrim’s Hospice trustee.