Social workers need more training on end-of-life care

According to a major report developed by experts on a social care advisory board, including Jeff Jerome, the National Director of Social Care Transformation, and Chief Executive of Counsel and Care Stephen Burke, social workers need training in order to play a greater role in planning and delivering end-of-life care ahead of huge increase in the numbers of deaths each year.

The report entitled, Supporting people to live and die well: a framework for social care at the end of life, says people aged over 85 are now the fastest growing segment of the population and the number of deaths in this age group will rise by 17% between 2012 and 2030.

The report shows that social care staff, including experienced social workers, are daunted or may lack confidence in conversations about death and, although the majority of people wish to die at home, fewer than one in 10 do so.