A learning and development strategy for children's hospices across London

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Palliative Care
• Healthcare Workforce Development
• Quality Improvement in Health Services

Background:

• UK political focus on high-quality, coordinated, family-centered children's palliative care for complex needs.
• Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulation of English hospices since 2010 necessitates skilled workforce.
• Need for effective education and training to meet evolving service demands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of a unified learning and development strategy for Children's Hospices across London (CHaL).
• To create a strategy aligned with evidence-based practices and CQC requirements.
• To ensure workforce expertise in children's palliative care.

Main Methods:

• Collaborative project between CHaL educators and a research team.
• Development of a strategy based on evidence of good practice.
• Validation of the strategy with a wider audience and alignment with CQC outcomes.

Main Results:

• A unified learning and development strategy for children's hospices was created.
• The strategy incorporates four key learning and development principles.
• These principles are designed to be applicable and transferable across different hospice settings.

Conclusions:

• The developed strategy addresses the need for skilled professionals in children's palliative care.
• The four key principles provide a transferable framework for hospice education.
• This initiative supports the delivery of high-quality, coordinated, family-centered care.