Date published: February 2022
This report brings together evidence from a two-year evaluation of the Barnsley Advanced Specialist Practitioner (ASP) care homes pilot project, funded by Macmillan Cancer Support and run in partnership with South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SWYPFT). The pilot has aimed to provide enhanced care planning to care home residents in the last year of life, working with care homes directly and wider health services.
An independent evaluation of this ASP project in Barnsley was commissioned by Macmillan Cancer Support in 2019, to increase understanding of:
- the impacts of the ASP on high quality clinical and personalised holistic care and personalised choice in the last year of life
- what an appropriately skilled and integrated system working looks like
- the sustainability of personalised holistic care planning within the system.
Key findings:
- There are good indicators that the ASP role has supported a real improvement in End of Life (EOL) care for residents in care homes in Barnsley.
- There is work to be done to ensure that Advance Care Planning (ACP) for EOL takes place for people with months or a year or more to live.
- The role of the ASP is to train, support and coach care homes as well as to advise and potentially case manage complex cases. Having this dedicated and protected resource has really added value.
- The ASP role has been instrumental in a shift in how care homes are viewed within healthcare and a shift in how care home residents are viewed by GPs and others. The ASP sits within a wider framework that supports EOL care in homes.
Additional resources:
- Infographic for Advanced Specialist Practitioner (ASP) care homes pilot project (PDF)
- Watch a video presentation about the report (YouTube).