Palliative care services 'atlas' compiled by academics
Information on the breadth of Scotland's palliative care has been brought together for the first time by a team of academics.
Information on the breadth of Scotland's palliative care has been brought together for the first time by a team of academics.
Described as a Scottish atlas'', it provides data on the availability of palliative care services across the country, which had previously been encompassed within UK data.
Created by a team at the University of Glasgow, the atlas contains maps, tables, lists and diagrams, illustrating which services are available in Scotland for terminally-ill people, at what level and where.
Produced by Reverend Dr Hamilton Inbadas and Dr Michelle Gilles in a programme led by Professor David Clark of the Glasgow End of Life Studies Group, it is to be presented at a palliative care conference in Edinburgh.
Dr Inbadas said: The Scottish atlas of palliative care presents a picture of the levels of specialist palliative care provided through different types of services, categorised by each health board area.
It also offers a useful list of key documents and milestones that capture the development of Scottish palliative care in the areas of policy, education and socio-cultural attitudes.''
Prof Clark said: Scotland is not visible in the European Atlas of Palliative Care and this is something which we wanted to put right. We hope it will inspire other nations to do the same.
The Scottish atlas will be a vital resource for policy-makers, decision-makers and thought leaders across Scotland.''
The document was created in response to the Scottish Government's 2016 strategic framework for action in palliative and end of life care.
Craig White, divisional clinical lead at the Scottish Government's healthcare quality and strategy directorate, said: The Scottish Government has committed to support improvements in the collection, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of data and evidence relating to needs, provision, activity, indicators and outcomes in respect of palliative and end-of-life care.
The Scottish atlas of palliative care will support a range of work in progress to contribute towards our vision that by 2021, everyone in Scotland who needs palliative care will have access to it.''