Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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1125. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the commitment in the programme for Government on improving information and awareness of end of life services particularly those which provide persons with palliative care in the location of their choice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26957/17]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Minister, the Department of Health and the HSE are committed to ensuring that information and awareness of palliative care/end of life services is made widely available.

The HSE works in partnership with a wide range of voluntary organisations to provide this information on two levels. These organisations include the Irish Hospice Foundation, The All Ireland Institute for Hospice and Palliative Care, the Irish Cancer Society, LauraLynn and individual hospice services.

Firstly it is necessary to provide education and training to health care providers and professionals so that they can provide information, make timely and appropriate referrals to palliative care services and support individuals and families in their decision-making. Every person who avails of palliative care services will have previously come into contact with or been cared for by some other part of the health service. Therefore it is imperative that health care professionals are well-informed and able to provide expert advice to colleagues, patients and carers. Education, academic qualifications, study days etc. are currently being provided by a number of organisations / services across the country.

Two such initiatives being supported by the HSE are facilitated by the All Ireland Institute for Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC). One is the provision of an on-line Palliative Care Hub which has separate information / learning platforms for healthcare professionals and for patients and their carers (). The second initiative is Project ECHO which is a demonstration project supporting 22 nursing homes in Dublin. The key aim is to empower nursing home staff to improve the experiences of residents and avoid unnecessary emergency department attendances or hospital admissions, ensuring that individuals who wish to die in their normal place of residence can do so. The HSE also provides funding for the Irish Hospice Foundation’s Hospice Friendly Hospitals (HFH) programme which supports the establishment of Palliative / End of Life Care committees in acute hospitals. Initiatives associated with the HFH include improving communication skills, part of which is initiating difficult discussions about end of life care, improving hospital environments, education and training and improving bereavement care. The Irish Hospice Foundation also initiated the Think Ahead project which encourages people to discuss their wishes with their families and clinicians while they are still well enough to do so.

The second element of information and awareness raising is for the general public, including patients and families. The HSE is supporting the public information / media campaign organised on an annual basis by the AIIHPC. The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness of palliative care among the general public. It also provides links to further information as well as to organisations involved in palliative / end of life care.