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Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the knowledge, and skills for the assessment and provision of individualized care of people with advanced progressive disease and during the dying phase of their illnesses.

 

Assignment Brief

 

Module Title:

End of Life Care and Symptom Management

Module Code:

CL726

Assignment No/Title:

CW2

Assessment Weighting:

60%

This assignment tests the following Learning Outcomes for the module:Delete any that do not apply and ensure that alternative instructions are entered in the box above.

 

  1. Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the knowledge, and skills for the assessment and provision of individualized care of people with advanced progressive disease and during the dying phase of their illnesses.
  1. Demonstrate a conceptual understanding of the key role communication skills have in influencing end of life care
  1. Critically interpret and evaluate how organisational, political, cultural and social factors influence the delivery of end of life care.

The Assignment Task:

The assessment will consist of one 3000 word assignment.

This assignment will be presented as a report.

 Use a critical incident from a case study to illustrate examples of either good practice or examples of where practice does not match the research evidence.

You do not weave the case study into the body of the report- you identify the key problems from the case study and then use these as the headings in your report.  Exploring key challenges and relating these to the research literature.

The report will be written for a senior person in your organisation.  Imagine that you have been asked to explore the delivery of palliative care in your practice area, identifying both strengths and areas for development.

You need to include information on the following:

  1. How organisational, cultural and sociological factors influence palliative care. This may include the use of Advance Care Planning, Interdisciplinary working, the culture of your organisation.
  2. Explore how well holistic care is being delivered by your team- what are the strengths, weaknesses, challenges and threats?
  3. Reflect on communication around end of life care, both at an organisational and patient care level.
  4. Make recommendations to improve care- in the body of the report- these should be supported by evidence of what works and a summary at the end.

Assessment Criteria

 IMPORTANT: REFER TO THE GENERIC LEVEL 7 MARKING CRITERIA FOR GRADING GUIDELINES

Sample Answer

Improving End of Life Care: A Report Based on Practice Review

Executive Summary

This report evaluates the current delivery of palliative care in a chosen healthcare setting, based on a critical incident involving poor communication and inconsistent symptom management in end-of-life care. Using this as a framework, the report highlights organisational, cultural, and sociological influences on care quality. Key focus areas include holistic care delivery, communication practices, and team collaboration. Evidence-based recommendations are presented to enhance future care provision.

Introduction

Palliative and end-of-life care aim to support patients with life-limiting conditions by improving their quality of life and dignity. However, care delivery is often influenced by multiple factors beyond clinical skills. This report identifies areas for improvement in practice, using a real-world critical incident to explore how organisational structure, team culture, communication, and holistic care approaches shape outcomes. Recommendations are supported by current research and best-practice guidelines.

1. Organisational, Cultural, and Sociological Influences on Palliative Care

1.1 Organisational Factors

The structure and policies of a healthcare setting can either support or hinder good palliative care. In the chosen case study, limited staff training and poor care planning delayed important decisions about symptom control and care preferences.

  • Advance Care Planning (ACP): Not effectively used. The patient’s wishes were not recorded early, resulting in distress during the final phase of life. According to NICE (2021), ACP improves outcomes when implemented proactively.

  • Resource Limitations: Staffing shortages and time pressures affected the quality of interdisciplinary meetings, leading to fragmented care.

  • Leadership: A lack of leadership in end-of-life care roles can reduce accountability and consistency in care delivery.

1.2 Cultural Factors

The team displayed a “task-focused” culture, prioritising physical care over emotional and spiritual needs. This is common in high-pressure hospital environments (Watts et al., 2022), where clinical outcomes are often prioritised over patient experience.

  • Emotional needs of family members were overlooked.

  • Staff expressed discomfort discussing death, indicating a need for education and cultural shift.

1.3 Sociological Factors

Differences in patient background, beliefs, and family dynamics influence care.

  • Cultural sensitivity was missing in the case study. The patient`s religious preferences were not addressed, leading to distress for the family.

  • This reflects a broader issue in many organisations, where cultural competence is inconsistently applied (Koffman et al., 2020).

2. Quality of Holistic Care: Strengths and Areas for Development

2.1 Strengths

  • Basic physical care (e.g., pain relief) was provided consistently.

  • Efforts were made to involve family members during visiting hours.

  • Referrals to palliative care teams were eventually made.

2.2 Weaknesses

  • Spiritual and emotional care was not prioritised.

  • Psychological support was reactive, not proactive.

  • Holistic assessments were rushed or incomplete due to workload.

2.3 Challenges

  • Time constraints: Staff had limited time to build therapeutic relationships.

  • Lack of training in non-physical aspects of palliative care.

  • Team communication gaps, especially between ward staff and specialists.

2.4 Threats

  • Burnout: Staff faced emotional fatigue, which impacts compassionate care.

  • Systemic underfunding of palliative services.

  • Over-reliance on junior staff without end-of-life experience.

According to the World Health Organization (2020), truly holistic care must address physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs equally.

Continued...

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