Pete is a GP in Peterborough and the Primary Care Lead for the Primary Care Trust; and  Katy is a District Nurse working as End of Life Care Facilitator in Peterborough. Pete and Katy worked as part of Dr Stephen Barclay’s research team on a joint project for their fellowship.

Project title: Developing end of Life care provision in the community.

This study investigated the knowledge and prescribing habits of Peterborough and Cambridgeshire GPs and CNs to identify training and educational needs. It also gathered information on their views on the out of hours services in their area and their preferences for further EOLC education.

Methods

A questionnaire study of all General Practitioners and Community Nurses in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, investigating their training and knowledge in key areas of Palliative Care.  Questionnaires were sent out to all General Practitioners and Community Nurses in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.  Expert panels of doctors and nurses were asked to comment on the importance of the questions asked and the correctness of the answers received.

Outcomes

Generally a high level of knowledge was found amongst responders, with key areas for improvement identified. These include: educational needs and awareness of side effects of some medicines; specific training and practice to increase competency; and the need to increase awareness of night and evening services for end of life patients.

Presentations have been requested by different groups (community nurses, Peterborough Out of Hours service and local palliative care teams) to inform them of the results and facilitate discussion. In addition, data from this survey are informing several educational initiatives with which the CLAHRC team is associated, in particular the HIEC initiative. This study has been published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.

Read more and download the briefing document here.