OP-8 What support do care home staff need when supporting residents at the end of life?

<h3>Introduction</h3> Providing care towards the end of life is a core aspect of care home work, although one that often goes under recognised. Existing research focusses on needs of residents and families during this difficult time. Research addressing care home staff tends to focus on technical training needs, with emotional impact only considered in the context of the negative implications of poor training and support for staff burnout, turnover and ill-health, (Schultz, 2017; Vandrevala 2017; Barrie 2020). Whilst implementing a model of excellence in end-of-life care for Hallmark Care Homes, the emotional weight for staff of providing such care became apparent, prompting a search for evidence-based solutions. In the absence of established practical solutions, we undertook a Home Action Research Project, in which Hallmark’s researcher-in-residence supported a team of co-researchers within a single care home to design and carry out their own research into this area. <h3>Aims</h3> This research aimed to identify the support required by care home staff when providing end of life care for residents. <h3>Methods</h3> Co-producing the research design with care home staff, a variety of data collection methods maximised the engagement of staff with different work experiences, confidence and cultural backgrounds. These included traditional methods such as a survey and interviews alongside more creative methods including collaging, photo-voice and journalling. More than 30 team members shared their experiences and preferences for support. <h3>Results</h3> Findings established a need to raise organisational awareness of staff narratives of end-of life-care and identified actions that enhance or diminish staff’s receipt of necessary support. <h3>Conclusion and Impact</h3> This presentation will share the key findings, including the Staff Support Intervention designed as a result of the findings: a set of practical steps care home organisations can implement to ensure a supportive environment for staff who provide end of life care for residents. <h3>References</h3> Barrué P, Sánchez-Gómez M. La experiencia emocional de enfermeras de la unidad de hospitalización adomicilio en cuidados paliativos: un estudio cualitativo exploratorio. <i>Enfermeria Clínica</i> 2020;<b>31</b>:211–221 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enfcli.2020.11.006 Schultz M. Taking the lead: supporting staff in coping with grief and loss in dementia care. <i>Healthcare Management Forum</i> 2017;<b>30</b>(1):16–19 Vandrevala T. <i>et al</i>. Perceived needs for support among care home staff providing end of life care for people with dementia: a qualitative study. <i>International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry</i> 2017;<b>32</b>:155–163