Research

Delirium – sudden confusion and/or restlessness – often occurs in the last days of life and is upsetting for patients, families and healthcare professionals. The CHELsea II clinical trial aims to assess whether providing (drip) fluids for people who are dying reduces the likelihood of developing delirium. More information on the trial can be found here: CHELsea II trial

In collaboration with the University of Surrey

‘Hospice at Home’ teams care for people approaching end of life in the comfort of their home surroundings. Researchers at the University of Kent developed a new toolkit to help Hospice at Home services like ours evaluate and improve what they do. The Hospice at Home team and the Research Team from St Barnabas House met with a researcher to pilot using the toolkit. More information can be found here: Hospice at Home Toolkit

In collaboration with the University of Kent

It is important to understand more about Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in order to develop better care and new treatments. The MND Register (of England, Wales and Northern Ireland) aims to collect information about every person with MND in the UK. This will help researchers to identify potential risk factors or causes of MND to help prevention and treatment of the disease. More information on the register can be found here: MND Register

In collaboration with King’s College London and the University of Oxford

This study focused on how hospices in the UK can provide the best care for people outside of normal working hours. St Barnabas House took part in two phases of the project. In one phase, staff from St Barnabas told researchers about how we provide care outside of normal working hours in this area of Sussex. In a later phase, patients and their families/carers told the researchers about their experiences of receiving care outside of normal working hours. More information about the study can be found here: Out-of-Hours Community Palliative Care

In collaboration with King’s College London

This study aimed to understand how people living with advanced respiratory disease manage their daily activities (washing, dressing, cooking, shopping, housework, etc.) as their disease progresses. People receiving care from St Barnabas took part in the study by completing a couple of questionnaires each month. The findings of the study showed that a decrease in mobility indicates that people are likely to struggle more with daily activities and suggests that these struggles could be alleviated with timely support from physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

Read the full article here.

• A collaborative way of caring
• Delivering collaborative education to enhance patient-centred decision-making in renal failure
• A collaborative pathway for malignant pleural effusion
• ‘Sit up, get dressed, keep moving’. Applying the hospital initiative to the hospice setting.
• Anticipatory care planning for patients with advanced cirrhosis
• Improving end of life care for patients with advanced liver disease
• A Pioneering Approach to Increase Access to Palliative Care for those with Advanced Liver and Renal Disease.
• Designing and Implementing a Specialist Renal Palliative Care Service, 2016
• Review of oesophageal stent use and outcomes in the management of patients with palliative oesophageal carcinoma
• ‘Dying to stay at home’ – experiences of end of life care at home for patients dying of cirrhosis

Download the third issue here

This issue looks at the last six months of research at St Barnabas House at Chestnut Tree House.

Introduction to our research team, looking at the the progress that our research had over the years at St Barnabas House and our sister hospice Chestnut Tree House, plus looking to the future and our ongoing projects.