July 2025 News Digest

Psychological support is a vital element of palliative care—both for patients living with serious mental illnesses or substance use disorders and for many others facing anxiety, depression, or emotional distress at the end of life. Physicians require clear guidance. In this article, an international expert group introduces, for the first time, a consensus-based set of core psychiatric and psychological competencies for palliative care doctors.

The authors identify 36 competencies, organised into three key domains: the psychological foundations of serious illness care, psychiatric conditions in the context of palliative care, and a systems-based approach to team and interdisciplinary practice.

This article provides a useful resource for clinicians to evaluate and improve their skills, for educators to create effective training programmes, and for organisations to enhance systemic improvements in the quality of palliative care.
Read: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0885392425006578

While adult patients’ preferences have long been included in clinical palliative care, understanding the wishes and priorities of children remains a complex and underexplored area. We need a more sensitive and inclusive approach to truly grasp what matters most to seriously ill children and their families.

This article examines key aspects of such an approach, including:

• Why it’s vital to consider not only the perspectives of parents and clinicians, but also the voice of the child,
• How age, developmental stage, and cultural context influence the child’s experience of care,
• Why the desire to ‘live a normal life’— being with peers, going to school—is often a central priority for children.
• And how misunderstandings between parents and care teams can cause conflict.

Ultimately, this is not just about medical treatment; it’s about creating a care system that respects the child’s voice, supports the family, and maintains a delicate balance between clinical care and human connection.

Read: https://hospicenews.com/2025/06/18/moving-mountains-to-understand-pediatric-palliative-patient-preferences/

Hospitals are increasingly unprepared to address the real needs of older adults—especially those experiencing repeated hospital stays and nearing the end of life. These readmissions are not just a sign of poor health but also a reflection of systemic fragmentation and a lack of coordinated care that may contradict the actual wishes of patients and their families.

The authors of the article raise important questions: Are we helping older adults by repeatedly hospitalising them? Why are patients’ preferences—such as dying at home rather than in an ICU—so often ignored? Can advance care planning (ACP) make a difference?

ACP is more than a document; it’s a process—a conversation about values, goals, and the boundaries of medical intervention, agreed upon with loved ones and healthcare providers. While implementing ACP may encounter legal, ethical, and logistical challenges, experiences from other countries demonstrate that it is both achievable and necessary.
Read: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1624555/full

In the context of globalisation and rising migration, healthcare systems are becoming more multicultural—and this is felt particularly strongly in palliative care. A new study published in BMC Palliative Care examines the challenges faced by professionals caring for patients from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds.

Language barriers, cultural differences in perceptions of death and care, varying levels of involvement from families and public institutions, lack of flexibility, ethnocentrism, stereotypes, and tensions within multicultural teams—all these factors create obstacles for both providers and patients. The authors emphasise that without understanding the cultural context, delivering truly high-quality palliative care is impossible.

Read: https://bmcpalliatcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12904-025-01759-6

Following a historic vote in the House of Commons that paved the way for legalising assisted dying in England and Wales, a fierce debate has erupted within the professional community. A practising doctor from the National Health Service raises serious concerns: behind the appealing language of dignity and patient autonomy may lie far more troubling realities.

In the context of an underfunded palliative care system and stark regional disparities in access, offering a ‘choice’ between support and death becomes morally ambiguous. The author warns that the legalisation of assisted dying is not just a clinical procedure, but a fundamental shift in the role of the physician—one that risks undermining trust and the ethical foundations of medical practice.

Who does the bill protect, and who is left behind? Can we genuinely talk about freedom of choice when the system fails to provide basic end-of-life support? Read more in the opinion piece by Dr. Hassan Ahmed.

Read: https://www.cureus.com/articles/386054-when-choice-isnt-a-choice-the-practical-and-ethical-risks-of-the-terminally-ill-adults-bill-of-england-and-wales#!/