What is the Forum on End of Life in Ireland?
The Forum on End-of-Life in Ireland is an Irish Hospice Foundation
(IHF) project. During 2009 it engaged with the public on end-of-life
issues to find what people in Ireland believed about dying, death and
bereavement.
The National Council of the Forum on End of Life
is now taking on the work and vision of the Forum. It is chaired by
Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness.
Forum 2011
On
Wednesday 12 October, Forum 2011 was held in the Croke Park Conference
Centre in Dublin. Attendees were from every sector of the health
service. There were chaplains, emergency staff, social workers,
doctors, consultants, administrators, academics and members of the
general public. For details, please click Forum 2011.
A significant part of the day was the launch by Taoiseach Enda Kenny of Think Ahead.
What is the National Council now doing?
The
National Council, which met for the first time on Wednesday, May 26,
2010, is determining priorities on end-of-life issues. It has a Work Plan covering ten main areas.
It has produced a Discussion Document on the case for reform of the funeral and cremation industry. NC Funeral Industry Proposals Funeral industry.pdf (0.73 MB, Adobe PDF)
The National Council is also studying the issue of Pronouncing, Certifying and Registering Death.
A
longer term project, on which considerable initial work has been done,
is called "Think Ahead". This aims to provide a means of guiding the
public in recording their wishes and preferences, and relevant details,
which would be applicable in any health emergency.
It is envisaged
that this will initially be available as a printed document with an
electronic or on-line version being developed later.