Following the success of our Leeds NHS pilot project, we were pleased to partner with NHS South West London to offer free end-of-life doula support to residents in the Kingston and Richmond boroughs. This service, funded through NHS South West London’s 2022-2023 Innovation Fund, was available between December 2023 – September 2024.
End of Life Doula UK received both self-referrals, and referrals from NHS professionals for individuals with a terminal diagnosis and an estimated prognosis of 6-12 months, and their relatives who were also able to receive support via the project. 11 End of Life Doula UK members worked on the project providing a combination of practical, emotional, and spiritual support across various settings – in the person’s home, in local care and nursing homes, and local hospitals particularly Kingston Hospital. Most individuals supported by doulas were able to die in their preferred place (92%). This aligns with EoLDUK’s ‘person-centred’ approach to end-of-life care, focusing and advocating for the needs of the individual and their community.
Dr. Catherine Millington-Sanders, South West London ICB’s end-of-life care clinical lead, emphasised the value of this project:
“The end-of-life doula works alongside individuals and their families to work out what is most important to them and ensure that conversations around their death can be approached without fear or loneliness.”
We heard from family of the people we supported at the end of life that now they knew about doulas and what support they provide, they were likely to use the service again for themselves or family members (as appropriate) and to recommend this to others in the future. Here is some of the feedback we were grateful to receive from individuals and families who received support from one of our members as part of the project:
“I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for the invaluable support you provided during a very difficult time. Your dedication to your role as Doulas goes above and beyond, and your commitment to offering comfort and guidance is truly commendable”.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the exceptional support provided by the Doula service during a challenging time in our lives. Their compassionate care and guidance were invaluable as we navigated the difficult process of managing the passing of my father at home. The expertise and understanding demonstrated by the Doula team helped us find comfort and solace during a time of profound grief. Their presence brought a sense of calm and reassurance to our home, making an incredibly challenging situation more manageable. I am truly thankful for the dedication and compassion shown by the Doula service, and I will always be grateful for the support they provided during such a sensitive time”.
“The fact that you came when we were going through the beginning of the end for my [person’s name] and continued to be there whenever I needed to see you, causes me to feel much lighter in my head than I would have been otherwise and more able to cope”.
“I wanted to thank you for the amazing support and help you gave to me and my aunt during the last days before her death. Thank you again so much for the support the doula service has given”.
We also received positive support from other health and social care professionals working in the area alongside our members:
I can only give positive feedback about the patients [doula’s name] supported. He was able to form a good connection to a gentleman in his last days – supporting him at home and in the hospice. It was very clear that the patient appreciated his input enormously. He also supported family – enabling the mother to attend an important meeting. He was always responsive to requests. It would be great if this service continued. – Clinical Nurse Specialist, Princess Alice Hospice
“the family were grateful for all support given by their doula. They were extremely grateful and amazed at the way [doula’s name] supported [person’s name] in the very last hours of his life. We definitely need to use end-of-life doulas more often”. – Senior Community Nurse, Your Healthcare
Whilst NHS funding for the Kingston and Richmond project ended in September 2024, as an organisation we continued to fund (thanks to donations) support for individuals who were referred as part of the project but who continued to require support beyond September 2024 as we did not want to withdraw our support at this crucial time.
You can read our evaluation report for this project here: Kingston and Richmond Report
