The Transforming End of Life Care (TEOLC) team supports people in last days of life, those close to them and the staff caring for them. We provide this service seven days a week. We work with Specialist Palliative Care to ensure all patients in the last days of life receive the most appropriate support and clinical advice.
Our team includes:
- Clinical nurse specialists (CNSs)
- Senior nurse
- Project manager
- Consultant in Specialist Palliative Care
- Quality Improvement Fellow (doctor)
TEOLC also lead on:
- Quality improvement
- Audit
- Education
Our clinical care follows national guidance:
- One Chance to Get it Right
- Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care
- National audit for care in last days of Life (NACEL) – the NHS England benchmarking standard
We provide clinical support through:
- daily reviews –to support patients and their loved ones in the last days of life. Learn more on our Care in the Last Days of Life web page.
- support calls – to people who have recently lost a loved one. For more details, visit Information following a bereavement and the role of the medical examiner.
- future care planning conversations – this is also called Advance Care Planning where we help people talk about their wishes and preferences for future care.
- hospital discharge – we work with community teams to support discharge for patients who wish to receive end-of-life care in the community. This might be at home, a hospice or nursing home.
General enquiries
Other contact information
TEOLC clinical service:
07966774223
Address
Transforming End of Life Care Team
3rd Floor East
250 Euston Road
London, NW1 2PG
The UCLH TEOLC team adopted the SWAN model of care. This was developed, piloted and implemented by Salford Trust. The Salford team shared their experience of this model, enabling us to adapt it to our services. This model helps our staff to recognise this is a very sensitive and important time for patients and those close to them.
We created this video for all staff. It provides an overview of how this model supports compassionate, person-centred care for patients approaching end of life, their family, loved ones, and staff caring for them.
We provide staff education and mentoring in the following areas:
- How to recognise who may be in the last year of life
We help staff to recognise when someone may be in their last year of life and how to give them the best possible care and support. Patients who may be in the last year of life can benefit from having compassionate conversations about their wishes and priorities for future care and treatment.
- How to engage in compassionate conversations
We help staff to engage in compassionate conversations with patients and those close to them. The aim of these conversations is to develop an understanding of patients’ goals and wishes for their care. These are essential skills to support conversations around cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), giving bad news and end of life care planning.
- How to use Treatment Escalation Plans (TEPs)
TEPs record which treatments would be helpful if someone becomes more unwell in hospital. The aim of a TEP is to make sure that patients get the right treatment to suit their needs. This is particularly important for patients who are not for CPR.
- How to create an individualised care plan for the Last Days of Life
We educate staff on how to use the ‘Excellent care in the last days of life’ care plan to make sure the needs of patients and their families are supported.
- London-wide Universal Care Plans
We raise awareness of the London-wide Universal Care Plan (UCP). This is also called Urgent Care Plan. Healthcare professionals can create a personalised care plan online and share it securely with other relevant care providers. The other providers may include GPs and the London Ambulance service. This helps to make sure that patients’ needs and wishes are met in hospital and at home.
We run the following study days for staff:
TEP talks
TEP talks is a half-day advanced communication skills course. It is aimed at consultants, specialty trainees and senior nurses. It covers:
- The medicolegal, ethical and cultural context for TEP/DNACPR decisions.
- Bespoke educational videos of complex scenarios based on real cases, with discussion and debrief by faculty from across the trust.
This course is informed by:
- Patient and family feedback
- Local NACEL audit
- National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) End of Life Care (EOLC) 2024 report. This report highlights the need to enhance our discussions around complex medical decisions, particularly at the end of life.
EOLC Link Champions
Palliative and EOLC representatives from each ward have regular contact with our team. We have two dedicated study days per year to meet and discuss the latest local and national updates. We also have an in-depth look at various aspects of EOLC which the representatives share with their teams.
Compassionate Conversations
This is a well-evaluated training day where staff are encouraged to share experiences and learn from each other. A key focus is exploring our beliefs and values, and how they may differ from our colleagues’ and patients’. This helps to enrich our cultural competence. We explore communication skills, particularly listening and being present with patients and their loved ones at a difficult time in their lives.
EOLC Study days
These study days highlight the essential and compassionate aspects of care and information that staff need to provide high quality EOLC. They are held regularly throughout the year. Individual education sessions are provided for other teams or departments at their inhouse governance or study days.