At Help the Hospices we regularly encounter examples of innovation and creativity among our hospice colleagues but acknowledge that there may be limited opportunities to share these.
With this in mind, we’re setting up a pilot programme of master classes on innovative approaches to hospice care. The purpose of the master classes is to showcase practice and to offer contemporary perspectives on challenges which many hospices are facing.
They will also enable small groups of peers to work with expert practitioners to share experiences and refine their ideas and, we hope, to help to develop informal networks so that learning continues after each event.
The series starts on 2 May in London with a master class on ‘Public health approaches in palliative care – investigating their impact‘, which we’re hosting in partnership with St Joseph’s Hospice and the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm. Participants will be able to work with Professor Carol Tishelman and Dr Olav Lindqvist, who are developing a programme of research related to health-promoting palliative care, as well as Dr Libby Sallnow, who is evaluating a public health project in East London, and Dr Chris Bailey, who is leading a large research project at the University of Southampton on a community-based volunteer-led intervention.
Heather Richardson, National Clinical Lead at Help the Hospices, who will chair the first master class, comments: “These are very important events in bringing together individuals from hospices who want to think critically together about how best to overcome some of the significant challenges we face. The master class at St Joseph’s promises something very special; it brings together academics and hospice practitioners from across the UK and beyond to think about the complex issue of how to evaluate public health approaches which focus on improving the experience of people who are dying or facing loss.”
Thanks to the generous support of the Karolinska Institutet, we’re able to offer the first master class free of charge. We plan to keep the fees for subsequent master classes as low as possible as we’re confident many people may want to make them a regular feature of their diaries.
However, in order to foster as much interaction as possible, the master classes will be small events and early booking is recommended.
Other topics – and dates for the diary
Other topics in the series include ‘Respite and rehabilitation – a match made in heaven’ (11 June, also at St Joseph’s Hospice in London) and ‘Harnessing social media to enhance hospice care and support’ (10 July at the Hospice of St Francis in Berkhamsted). Booking for these will open shortly; in the meantime, you can book online for ‘Public health approaches in palliative care – investigating their impact‘.
For more information, contact j.hindmarch@helpthehospices.org.uk
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