#86 Think, Talk, Act with Wendy Hills

In this episode it is my pleasure to talk with Wendy Hills. Wendy has over 30 years’ experience as a Nurse qualifying in 1992, and specialising in Cancer and Chemotherapy.  For a decade she developed chemotherapy services, including developing Nurse led chemotherapy and intravenous access in East Kent Hospitals.  Wendy is currently the Director of Nursing and Care Services for Pilgrims Hospices.

I learn about the Advance Care Planning Project Think, Talk Act and why this is so important to Wendy.  We talk about upstreaming Advance Care Planning, the importance of identifying patients who may benefit from Planning earlier and share our excitement at the May  Advance Care Planning conference and book tour with Sammy Winemaker & Hsien Seow, pioneers of the Waiting Room Revolution and authors of Hope for the Best Plan for the Rest.

Key messages from guest

• Wendy describes the research she completed in the acute sector focusing on what was happening to patients in relation to A&E attendance and potential prognosis.Findings demonstrate that in 12 months, of 63 patients in  their last year of life, they had 426 A&E admissions between them

• Wendy realised that there services that could help support people in the last year of life was underutilised with referrals happening too late

• TheThink Talk Act project: the Think element of the project aims to support people to begin thinking about Advance Care Planning

• The Talk element of the project aims at identifying people who may be in the last year of life and who may benefit from Advance Care Planning

• We discuss the impact of not getting end of life care right

Resource

• Find out more about the  Pilgrims Hospices 

• Find out more about Think Talk Act 

• Buy the book Hope for the Best Plan for the Rest mentioned in the podcast

• Read the research poster Early Primary Care and Hospice Engagement With Patients to Think, Talk or Act on End of Life Care Needs: the ‘Talk’ Pilot. 

• For details on the Advance Care Planning Conference on 8.5.2024 see link below:https://www.nnuh.nhs.uk/event/advance-care-planning-conference-on-8-may/ 

• Access the Waiting Room Revolution website 

• Access the podcast Helping to see the person behind the patient  with OT Justine Robinson from the Pilgrims Hospices

Bio: 

Wendy has over 30 years experience as a Nurse qualifying in 1992 specialising in Cancer and Chemotherapy. For a decade she developed chemotherapy services, including developing Nurse led chemotherapy and intravenous access in East Kent Hospitals. Wendy moved into leadership and management roles across a multitude of acute specialist services focussing on service development, improvement and redesign before moving into the Hospice sector 9 years ago.

Having spent time both in the Acute Sector and the Hospice sector Wendy is passionate about supporting honest conversations with patients so that their precious time is not wasted on unneeded hospital admissions whilst dispelling the myths surrounding Hospice care.

Wendy has an eclectic taste in music and enjoys live gigs alongside worldwide travel, walking and cycling.