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Bereavement Sensitivity

Bereavement Sensitivity. MEDEQUIP TRAINING MODULE. Background. At some point, working for Medequip, all employees will encounter clients that are deceased or dying and will have to deal with friends and relatives of these clients.

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Bereavement Sensitivity

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  1. Bereavement Sensitivity MEDEQUIP TRAINING MODULE

  2. Background At some point, working for Medequip, all employees will encounter clients that are deceased or dying and will have to deal with friends and relatives of these clients. These dealings often require sensitive handling of the situation and nearly always a degree of diplomacy. Medequip recognizes that dealing sensitively and carefully with patients who are dying and with the relatives and carers of dying (or deceased) patients is crucially important. This training module is to make all employees, who have contact, aware of how to deal with this situation in a correct and sensitive manner.

  3. Introduction • The experiences of those who have been bereaved or are associated with the dying suggest that, often, it is the little things that make the difference such as the language used by staff and the efficiency of the service. • Medequip staff will be dealing with people at one of the most stressful times in their lives and must recognise that fact.

  4. Customer Services • Usually, the first point of contact when relatives make collection requests after someone has passed away. • Be aware that the person on the phone may be upset so be patient while they explain the situation. • Speak, without harshness, and gather the information that you require to log the collection request. • Contracts have a standard time period for collections. Explain this time scale to the person that you are speaking to.

  5. Customer Services (cont) • This is very often the point that relatives can become more upset or angry. Stay calm and keep your voice even. • Explain that if they require a quicker collection they have to make contact with a prescriber and furnish them with contact details if possible. • Gather access details to make the collection as trouble free as possible and, if appropriate and possible, the date of the funeral so collection can be avoided on that day.

  6. Customer Services (cont) • In some cases dealing with awkward or demanding people, you may have to contact the prescriber yourself to satisfy the demands and let the prescriber explain. • Avoid sympathetic comments such as: “I understand how you feel” as many bereaved people will not believe that you can experience what they are feeling at the time. • Be professional at all times and do not take any comments made personally.

  7. Technicians - Deliveries • When booking visits to palliative clients be aware that relatives may be the point of contact and the stress that they are under. • Try to be as flexible as possible within the confines of the day’s workload. • Upon arrival be respectful and carry out any work promptly, efficiently and with the minimum of disruption to the client and the relatives. • In cases involving children be particularly sensitive to the distress of the parents.

  8. Technicians – Collections • When a client passes away, it can be a particularly busy time for relatives and a degree of flexibility can be required to achieve collection of the equipment. • Be aware that sometimes relatives have to travel large distances to get to the property. Ensure that, as far as is practical, you keep to arrangements that have been agreed. • Read the notes on the paperwork to ensure that you do not cause unnecessary distress by not following instructions previously given.

  9. Technicians – Collections • There will be a times that Medequip items not listed on collection paperwork are present, collect these items as well and add to scanners and paperwork. • There will be many occasions that you will be asked to collect items that are non-Medequip items – politely refuse. • In extreme circumstances, you will have to take non-Medequip items away to avoid unpleasant confrontation please do so rather than get into a row.

  10. Technicians – collections (cont) • In very unusual circumstances, there will be a need to collect equipment when the body is still in situ. • In difficult circumstances, do not take any comments made personally. This can very often be the relatives way of expressing their grief.

  11. All employees - General • In accordance with company policy, under no circumstances, are you to accept gifts from relatives particularly in the case of a death. Other relatives may not be in agreement. • Sometimes, in our line of work, employees can have a tendency to be cold, cynical or blasé about death, at all times we must not portray these feelings to our clients or their relatives. • At all times, be professional and treat all people that you deal with the way that you would wish to be treated in similar circumstances.

  12. Health & Safety • Medequip has a duty of care to all it’s employees. It is aware that employees may be affected by the deaths of it’s clients and may be the case when an employee has had dealings with a client over a long period of time. • In these circumstances the employees should direct any concerns to the Human Resources Department

  13. Any Questions?

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