WAJD Learning

Specialist practice · Level 2 to 3, all staff supporting people at the end of life

End of life care

Recognising dying, managing symptoms, and having the conversation nobody wants to start.

  • 2modules
  • 3.5CPD hours
  • 100guided minutes
  • Freealways

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About this course

Most people die in a hospital when they would have preferred to die at home or in their care home. A large part of the gap is not clinical. It is that nobody recognised dying early enough, nobody had the conversation, and nothing was planned.

This course covers recognising the last months, weeks, days and hours, advance care planning, the five priorities for care of the dying person, symptom management, anticipatory medicines, care after death, and support for families and for you.

It is honest about the emotional cost of this work, because the sector is not, and because unsupported grief is one of the reasons good staff leave.

What you will be able to do

  • Recognise the signs that a person is entering the last days of life
  • Explain advance care planning, ADRT, ReSPECT and preferred place of death
  • Support symptom management and recognise when to escalate urgently
  • Provide culturally appropriate care after death and support the family

Modules

  1. 1 Recognising dying, planning ahead and the last days 55 min study · 6 min script · 4 question knowledge check
  2. 2 The conversations, and doing it their way 45 min study · 4 min script · 4 question knowledge check

Assessment and certificate

Knowledge check at 80 per cent with unlimited attempts.

A free digital certificate showing 2.5 CPD hours with a verification code.

Questions

Does giving morphine at the end of life hasten death?

Appropriately titrated opioids for pain and breathlessness in a dying person do not hasten death, and this misconception causes real suffering because families and staff hesitate. Uncontrolled pain and breathlessness are far more likely to distress a dying person than a properly managed dose.

Should we keep offering food and drink to someone who is dying?

Yes, offer, and support them to take what they want. Do not force. Reduced intake is a normal part of dying rather than a cause of it, and mouth care becomes far more important than volume. Clinically assisted nutrition and hydration is a medical decision to be discussed individually.