Equitable end of life care for all

Equitable end of life care for all  

March was a significant month for our Community Engagement team, who, alongside Tracey Allan, Community Engagement & Development Manager at Marie Curie (East of England) and Camphill Village Trust, ran their first No Barriers Here workshops at the Trust’s Delrow site in Watford, with 6 attendees. Our Community Engagement Manager, Alison May, is an accredited facilitator, trained to deliver the No Barriers Here workshops. 

No Barriers Here workshops – an inclusive approach to advance care planning 

No Barriers Here is an approach to advance care planning born out of the belief that everyone has the right to receive palliative and end of life care. Recognising that marginalised people often do not have the same access to advance care planning that others do, No Barriers Here workshops were developed to introduce advance care planning through accessible, arts-based methods, reaching individuals and communities who are typically underserved by palliative and end of life care.  

The phrase advance care planning describes the conversations between people and those close to them, including family, friends and healthcare professionals, about future wishes and choices about care. No Barriers Here workshops provide a gentle introduction to advanced care planning and the opportunity for people to think about and discuss their wishes for how they live their life, and the end of life, in a way that is accessible and inclusive. 

Breaking down barriers to care and end of life conversations 

Often discussions about planning ahead only happen once a person is referred to palliative care services or considered to be in the final 12 months of life. No Barriers Here proactively encourages early conversations with individuals and communities, particularly those who experience inequity and barriers accessing palliative and end of life care. It’s about enabling everyone to have important conversations, as early as possible.

In the UK, there are more than 1.5 million people with a learning disability. Many experience health inequalities and are more likely to die at a younger age than the general population. Despite advance care planning being an essential part of palliative care, healthcare professionals frequently avoid end of life conversations with people with learning disabilities. This is why No Barriers Here is so important.  

The workshops also opens up conversations about end of life care and planning to people who feel excluded due to identity, culture, ethnicity or race. Research has highlighted the continual presence of barriers in healthcare services and services not appropriately meeting the needs of people from minority ethnic groups and LGBTQ+ communities. 

No Barriers Here makes a tangible and meaningful difference to tackling inequality in palliative and end of life care. So much so, that it won Hospice UK’s Tackling Inequalities Award in 2021, NHS Improvement Awards ‘Improving through Co-production’, The 3rd Sector Care 2023 Development and Innovation Award and was a finalist in the Learning Disability and Autism Awards in 2021.