Educating prison staff in the principles of end-of-life care

End-of-life (EoL) care is a priority in health care and aims to provide services for all those who are dying, irrespective of their location. Providing this care to those in prison services is challenging. This paper reports a project that aimed to provide an education programme to both prison nurses and officers to support their understanding of EoL care and how it may be provided within the confines of the prison environment. On offer was a mixed-methodology education programme incorporating a pre-existing university module not specifically tailored to the prison setting. The mentorship of a clinical nurse specialist already known to the prison staff proved crucial to its successful implementation. Following the educational programme, both the nurses and the prison officers reported having a deeper understanding of the issues and more confidence in providing EoL care to prisoners who are patients. Further delivery of the programme to a wider group is planned, and similar initiatives nationally may provide a flexible, affordable approach to EoL care for those ending their days in prison.