End of Life Care

What is End of Life Care?

The Butterfly WINGS model of care is used to support and guide the care of patients and their loved ones during end-of-life care, and afterwards. It is part of our commitment to you and those important to you at this time and will commence when your Personalised Care Plan for Last Days of Life is agreed and in place.

A blue butterfly image is displayed on the door or curtain of the dying patient’s bedspace. It acts as a visual reminder to the wider team to ensure a calm and respectful environment during what is a sensitive time.

This model of care promotes dignity, respect and compassion at the end of life. It enables us to be open about recognising dying and convey this to those indirectly caring for you and your significant others. It considers those that will be bereaved, offering memory making opportunities such as handprints, knitted hearts, blankets and teddies.

Staff are supported to deliver high quality care that is tailored to the person, using the Butterfly WINGS model of care. This approach is used to acknowledge when the focus of a person’s care is on comfort and symptom control. The focus is on 'What Matters' for the person.

WINGS means:

What matters: Sensitive communication with the patient and those important to them

Identify: Recognise, understand and anticipate – Is the patient believed to be entering last days of life?

Needs: Create an individualised Personalised Care Plan for Last Days of Life (PCPLDL) to help patients to be comfortable throughout

Goals: Do what matters, step outside the box and help with what is important to the patient and family

Support: Throughout life and during bereavement – make sure the needs of the patient and family being met, noted and reviewed often.