The Queen's Nursing Institute
The Queen's Nursing Institute works with the public, nurses and decision-makers to make sure that good quality nursing is available at home for everyone when they need it.
In this section:
Why not enjoy a short visit or a long day out at a National Gardens Scheme garden and show your support for one of the QNI's major funders.
Supporting the Fund for Innovation and Leadership.
Visit our District Nursing 150 website, a celebration of the vibrant one hundred and fifty year history of District Nursing in the UK.
The Kieran Sweeney Award
Improving care for patients in the final stages of life
‘Medicine is not solely a technical activity and pursuit; medicine is about understanding and being with people at the edge of the human predicament.’
Professor Kieran Sweeney
Kieran Sweeney was an honorary professor of general practice at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry in the West Country, and a GP in one of the very few nurse-led practices in the UK. He was also a Trustee of the Queen’s Nursing Institute. Kieran was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma at the age of 57 and died at home with his family on Christmas Eve 2009.
The QNI created an Award in his memory, to offer a multi-disciplinary team the opportunity to improve care for patients in the final stages of life. We hope thereby to influence the day-to-day practice of many more individuals and teams.
Kieran Sweeney believed that health professionals sometimes need to be reminded to ‘rediscover the humanity in a patient’. Shortly before he died, Kieran was interviewed about his experience of care during his final illness. To view this short but and uniquely insightful film, click on the link below:
http://www.e-lfh.org.uk/projects/lead/patient_journey.html
We hope that Kieran's legacy will help ensure that other patients with a diagnosis of a life-threatening illness get the best possible care, reducing the distress that such a diagnosis can cause.
The Award was presented by Kieran Sweeney's widow, Barbara Sweeney, to Angela Parle, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Pallative Care at Liverpool Community Health, at the QNI's Award Ceremony in May 2011.
Angela writes:
Our project aims to ensure that nurses develop the required skills and knowledge to deliver sensitive information at the appropriate time in the appropriate way.
My concerns for patients are that nurses focus purely on the physical needs of the patient dictated to by documentation provided by Trusts.
As a result of this, the psycho-social, emotional and spiritual needs of the patient are sometimes not assessed.
District nurses often feel Palliative Care/Macmillan nurses have higher level skills, and therefore do not see it as part of their role to address the needs of the patient.
NICE Supportive and Palliative Care Strategy states that all health professionals should have the skills to communicate effectively with patients and carers.
Having spent 17 years in Palliative care in Community one of my concerns is that we are now introducing into the community very inexperienced nurses, many newly qualified at a time when end of Life and Palliative care is more complex and widespread.
Patients’ preferences are for home care and this is being facilitated more and more.
We hope to cascade improved practice among our colleagues and other nursing teams.
