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September 23-24, 2019 | Prague, Czech Republic
2
nd
International Conference on
Palliative Care
Clinical Trials and Pharmacovigilance
Joint Event
&
Notes:
T
he numbers of childrenwith life-limiting or life-threatening
conditions is rising. Palliative Care for these children is
complex, it begins with diagnosis and continues through
a child’s life. At one end of the spectrum palliative care has
extended into antenatal, new-born and perinatal care, whilst
at the same time we are seeing the life expectancy of our
young people increase with many livings into adulthood and
transitioning into adult palliative care services.
We have seen a four-fold increase in the number of children
dyinginthehospice,alongsideanincreasingacuity,complexity
and case mix. In addition, we are experiencing an increased
demand for outreach and community services, alongside a
resduction in community pediatric teams.
Our workforce comes from a range of disciplines including
health visiting, pediatrics and learning disabilities. Whilst this
diversity has been invaluable in bringing together a range of
skills, many of our staff’s core skills are rooted in the traditional
short break/respite model of care. Using a validated tool, we
have interrogated our activity, reviewed our dependency
tool and looked at the impact of professional judgement
on keeping our staffing levels safe while we develop the
workforce’s skills and competencies in response to a changing
model of care.
Speaker Biography
Dee Sissons joined Rainbows Hospice as CEO in June 2018, after working
as Director of nursing for Marie Curie Cancer Care for five years. Her career
that spans commissioning acute services and the independent sector and
she has represented nursing and end-of-life care at the board and national
levels across the UK. She continues to play a key role in nursing leadership
and is an active council member at the Royal College of Nursing. She is
passionate about developing others and brings a wealth of knowledge
about practice development and professional standards. Unafraid of a
challenge, she has recently embarked on a professional doctorate bringing
the nursing voice to the debate on excellence and nursing care in the
palliative care sector. She is also a Florence Nightingale leadership scholar.
e:
dee.sissons@rainbows.co.ukDee Sissons
Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People, UK
The changing face of children and young people’s palliative care:
Safe staffing the missing link
Journal of Primary Care and General Practice | Volume 2
J Prim Care Gen Pract, Volume:2