Datteln children's palliative care unit “Lichtblicke” receives quality seal

The certification and recognition of palliative care units by the DGP is an important quality assurance measure in palliative care. The paediatric palliative care team led by Head and Chief Physician Prof. Dr Boris Zernikow therefore worked hard for months to obtain this ground-breaking seal of quality. "DGP certification proves that a palliative care unit is able to provide its patients with the highest level of care in accordance with defined specifications," says Dörte Garske, Head of Nursing at the Children's Palliative Care Centre and responsible for the certification process, describing the aim of the certification. This was carried out by the international certification institute ClarCert.

Continuously improving the quality of care

The preparatory measures for this at the Vestische Kinder- und Jugendklinik Datteln had a positive effect on the work processes of the Lichtblicke ward, as Garske reflects in retrospect: "We have optimised all of our processes and increased transparency. This allows us to continuously improve the quality of our care." The complex certification process places high demands on staffing, staff training, the standardisation of processes and the collection of feedback from patients and their parents. What facilities are available? How are they used and for what purpose? Which medical equipment is used where and why? These and other questions, as well as areas such as staff management, the induction concept for new employees, training concepts and the documentation of all processes were put to the test.

"The biggest hurdle for us was that the certification process was not geared towards paediatric palliative care units. And managing this process during the coronavirus pandemic was a real challenge for our entire team. But the joint effort was worth it," says Garske with enormous relief. "I am incredibly grateful to everyone involved for their fantastic efforts."

Making the relevance of paediatric palliative care visible

The staff on the Lichtblicke ward also have high hopes for the certification: "It would be great if the seal of quality also made the public more aware of how important comprehensive paediatric palliative care is for the whole family," says paediatric nurse Anja Berkenkötter, who has been working on the Lichtblicke ward for around one and a half years.

Head Physician Prof Zernikow also has the long-term benefits of this important certification in mind: "Remuneration in the health care system will be based on the quality of care. It is therefore only logical that we were the first paediatric palliative care unit in Germany to be certified by our scientific association."

Zernikow and his team are now looking further ahead: in March, the construction site for the long-planned extension on the roof of the paediatric palliative care centre will be set up. The operating theatre wing, which will be built here over a construction phase of around one and a half years, will further optimise the care provided at the children's palliative care centre. Now more than ever, Datteln will be an excellent and highly competent point of contact for parents seeking help with their seriously ill child.

More information on the children's palliative care centre at: www.kinderpalliativzentrum.de