I started working in the West Midlands in Paediatric Palliative Medicine in September 2021 after moving from Brisbane, Australia. I have the privilege of working across Acorns Hospices, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Trust, and really the whole of the West Midlands! It’s such a joy to work with families and see their goals and preferences be validated and embraced by all the services.
It’s been exciting to be a part of the growing West Midlands Paediatric Palliative Care services – with rapid growth and change across community, hospice and hospital services. I’ve seen strengthening in our collaboration, increase in our profile as a clinical service, and broadening of our referrals particularly in the antenatal space. With this growth and recognition, we are looking to secure our clinical on-call resources and are so grateful to NHSE for support with our 24/7 Specialist Paediatric Palliative Care Single Point of Access Exemplar Project. We hope this can bring together resources to support all families across the region in accessing expert help at any time. We also have a project in Wolverhampton through NHSE bringing together improved community nursing supports for end-of-life care at home.
We collaborate closely with our national and international colleagues in such a specialist field, meaning we have the advantage of shared development and support. The Association of Paediatric Palliative Medicine is a vital national group for our sector and provides the essential medications formulary alongside many other clinical guidelines and other resources specific to babies, children and young people. I am a member of the supportive West Midlands Palliative Care Physicians Society and I hope that with a growing alliance with and recognition from adult-based palliative care services we develop a true collaborative all-ages approach, streamlined to provide the best experiences for our families.
By Christine Mott