How and why do Needs Rounds work?
In the UK, many care home residents face their final months without the vital support of hospice teams – which can lead to unnecessary distress for them and their families. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Needs Rounds can provide care home staff and specialist palliative care staff with the opportunity to collaborate during a protected time, to plan for residents’ last months and weeks of life. Developed from an Australian model, Needs Rounds has been adapted by the University of Stirling for use in the UK.
Needs Rounds augment existing practice by building care home staff confidence for those who attend, and prompting anticipatory planning and care. Needs Rounds can strengthen relationships and trust, and shift power dynamics between care home and hospice services by harnessing complementary expertise.
Integrating learning into Needs Rounds strengthens understandings of the dying process, symptom and pain management, advance/anticipatory care planning, and communication mechanisms between care home staff, families, specialist palliative care staff and primary care. This leads to high quality resident centred care, enabling residents to be cared for and die in their preferred place. Needs Rounds also benefit relatives by increasing their confidence in care quality and care home staff, by providing timely expert input.
Want to learn more about Needs Rounds and how to implement it? Come along to our free webinar, hosted by Professor Liz Forbat who led the study about Needs Rounds in the UK, on Tuesday 28 October at 12 noon.
