A teaching revolution in care for the terminally ill
across Wales, standards of care were agreed and guidelines made freely available. Staff moved to rotas covering seven days, not just nine to five from Monday to Friday.
The consultants provided 24/7 advice to other healthcare professionals, often on a voluntary basis, because they all recognised that serious illness does not respect the clock or the calendar.
A funding formula was developed that has stood the test of time. It has defined the minimum level of specialist staff for a population and to support hospital staff.
The funding has ensured that at least that minimum level has been put in place. Collaboration between acute hospital services and palliative care teams has grown in Wales in a way that no other country in the world has achieved.
Throughout these developments, the voice of the person receiving care has provided crucial feedback to improve services. In recent years Byw Nawr (Live Now) has opened up conversations about death and dying. It is helping people talk about what they want and what they don’t want to happen when they come to face their final days so they can live well during whatever time is left.
Of course, there is always more to do, but the infrastructure of specialist staff, combined with enthusiastic dedication to do everything to help people live well until they die, makes Wales a world leader in providing effective palliative care to the whole population.