Date published: 12 September 2017 by Anna Jackson
Rainbow Trust warmly welcomes the publication today of new guidance on the quality of care that children and their families should expect when a child is approaching death. The guidance covers medical care, emotional support and the coordination of the child’s care.
The new NICE (National Institute of Health and Care Excellence) standard sets out six ‘quality statements’ that care providers should be meeting when a baby, child or young person is approaching the end of life. While not mandatory, this publication means both families and professionals can now know what best practice looks like, and the guidance can be a tool for improving care where it currently falls short.
Anne Harris, Director of Care at Rainbow Trust, said:
‘Rainbow Trust is pleased to be formally supporting this guidance which is another step towards improving the care that children and families can receive at this very difficult time. Through our Family Support Workers we will be ensuring that Rainbow Trust’s own service continues to be of a consistently high standard. At the same time we urge government to ensure the resources are in place to make these statements a reality for all families in all parts of the country.’
You can read Anne’s blog on the NICE website here which describes the positive impact on parents when high quality support for grief and loss is available.
