The trust which runs Queen’s Hospital has been recognised by NHS England as a nationwide example of how end of life care should be administered.

A new short film by NHS England highlights Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospital Trust (BHRUT)’s Daisy scheme, which has helped staff at the Rom Valley Way hospital recognise which patients are nearing the end of their lives.

An image of the flower is placed near the patient’s bed, on bags for their relatives to take their belongings home, and on mortuary trolleys, as an indication to staff across the hospitals, so they know some extra care and attention would be hugely welcomed.

It has proved such a success, with positive feedback from patients and their families, that it attracted the attention of NHS England, which worked with the trust to create a short film showcasing the scheme and its impact, as an example for other trusts across the country.

Wendy Matthews, BHRUT’s deputy chief nurse for patient experience, said: “Launching our Daisy scheme has made a huge difference not only for our patients nearing the end of their lives, but their loved ones too.

“Losing someone close is devastating, so we want to make the process at our hospitals as simple and straightforward as possible, offering as much support as we can to the family.

“Our teams are working more closely together to provide a warm and friendly environment to ease these families and friends through such a difficult time. “We’re really pleased to see such tremendous improvement in feedback from those who have lost someone since we introduced this scheme. It shows how small things can make a huge difference.”

A big part of improving end of life care was to move the bereavement office to a new, more accessible location.

Now known as the Daisy Centre, it was refurbished to be much more comfortable and welcoming for families.

Clare Enston, NHS England’s head of insight and feedback, said: “What shines through here is the compassion, dignity and humanity that has been built into these redesigned processes.

“It demonstrates how staff at every level can contribute to improving patient experience and really make a difference.”