The pilot demonstrated the need for a CNS service 7 days a week, and the service is now embedded in practice. Seven-day working benefits patients and families while being valued by the professional team.

The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow is committed to developing culturally competent, sensitive services to meet the needs of local ethnic minority communities. The clinical nurse specialist for widening access travelled to India, funded by a travel scholarship from the Florence Nightingale Foundation. The main rationale for this visit was to observe and compare palliative care practice in India in community, hospice and hospital settings with the current service provision by the hospice/hospital palliative care teams in Glasgow. A second focus was to study the cultural differences and potential challenges of providing palliative care to a diverse Indian population from multi-faith communities and different socio-economic classes. Throughout the visit the barriers to accessing palliative care services in India were observed as well as cultural norms that might impact on clinical practice in the UK.

A new and innovative 5 year lottery funded service which involves collaborative working and shared policies across three independent Hospices in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It offers information, support and help to families with children and young people aged 2–18 years who are facing challenging times in coping with life limiting illness and bereavement, recognising that dealing with grief at an early age can prevent worsening emotional and mental health issues in later life. (Every Child Matters 2004).In the first year we successfully ran 2 groups; 5 teenagers then 5 children and worked individually with 47 others. They were offered a choice of counselling, play therapy or a mixture of both, at school, home or Hospice and were seen one to one using adapted models of established intervention (Winston's Wish and Solution Focused Care) or within a small age appropriate group. They were encouraged to talk about their feelings through interaction, play or arts and crafts.We have established training, trained volunteers and plan to train teachers to assist in setting up groups supporting bereaved young people.ResultsInitial evaluation of our teenage group identified that the young people appreciated being treated as equals, and the programme was adapted to extend the sessions following their feedback. We identified that getting children and young people together helped reduce the sense of isolation and helped them talk and learn about the grief process. The hospices have also agreed to extend bereavement support to other family members.Future plansA third group has just been completed and a fourth planned. We have also begun researching the needs of very young bereaved children aged 2–5 years highlighting the needs of this age group and the lack of awareness and training within nurseries. A website is to be established.

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