HELPING and meeting the needs of young people with life-shortening conditions will be the focus of a masterclass tomorrow.

Hosted by Glasgow’s Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice, the event is being run by charity Together for Short Lives and will explain to attending medical practitioners and nursing staff as well as social workers from across Scotland how to support young patients and their families.

That includes managing complex health needs, as well as taking care of young people in the community.

This event is the second day of a two-part masterclass, the first was held in December, that Dr Laura Kelly, lead consultant in palliative medicine at the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice, described as “incredibly helpful to understanding the needs of young people”.

Glasgow’s Hospice is currently fundraising to build a new home on a leafy green site at Bellahouston Park. Its Brick by Brick is being backed by the Evening Times.

The foundations go down in June and it is expected to open its doors to patient in 2018, including offering new services to young people aged 15 years and older.

There are more than 15,000 children and young people in Scotland with life-limiting conditions up to the age of 25 years.

“Topics covered in the first part of the masterclass included how we communicate with children and young people about their health. Sometimes they want to talk about their situation but they also want to live as much as they can in the moment. The relationship that young people have with their peers is so important to them, so in our new hospice we have to look at how to support them to live life to the full,” said Dr Kelly.

“It became obvious that good wi-fi connections are crucial in the new hospice for young people as well as a place to communicate with friends and play their music.

“These children and young people are living longer but may be more frail and we have to ensure they are supported into adult services. Of particular interest to our hospice is the significant increase in those aged 16-25 years who may need access to specialist palliative care services. ”

Led by Lizzie Chambers, executive director of the UK transition taskforce for Together for Short Lives, the January 8 masterclass includes speakers from hospices for children and young adults.

Ms Chambers said: “I was delighted with the high level of interest shown by delegates at the first day of a two-day masterclass on transition for young people with life-shortening conditions.

“I was particularly impressed with the commitment shown by staff from the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice who turned out in force to learn about how they can change their practice to better meet the needs of this growing number of young people with complex disabilities and health conditions.

“I’m really looking forward to the second day of training on January 8 which will focus on meeting the specific care needs of these young people and about how hospice and palliative care organisations can help young people to access the whole range of services in Scotland to help them to achieve their aspirations in life.”

Claire Turnbull, transition manager at Children’s Hospice Association Scotland, was guest speaker at the event in December.