The new courses are designed to enable health and social care professionals to enhance care provided to patients and families facing physical, psychosocial and spiritual issues associated with life-limiting illness.
The underpinning philosophy of the courses is to enable individuals to appraise national and international research and evidence-based interventions to inform practice and service development.
The courses have been designed to reflect the multi-professional nature of palliative care, with health and social care professionals given the opportunity to learn together.
The multi-professional teaching team will use a blended learning approach, where student learning is facilitated through a combination of face-to-face teaching and delivery of content via digital and online media.
This approach allows for a greater variety and flexibility than a traditional classroom set up. For example, a classroom lecture may be accompanied by online discussion boards or other online activities where students have the opportunity to interact and share experiences and knowledge with some element of student control over time, place and space.
Following the teaching component, students will be supervised (either face-to-face or remotely) to complete a research dissertation.
“This course not only promotes innovation through its interdisciplinary and blended learning approach, it also emphasises the importance of widening the scope of palliative care to include marginalised populations and people living with dementia and other non-malignant conditions,” explained the course director, Claude Chidiac.
Adding: “I’m delighted and privileged to be part of this new innovative blended learning MSc in palliative and end of life care. I feel honoured to take part in this amazing opportunity to create future leaders in palliative care and work with national and international students from different disciplines and backgrounds.”
The head of education at the hospice, Caroline Scates, added: “This is a fantastic achievement for Saint Francis Hospice and we are delighted to be working in collaboration with London South Bank University. These courses align with both our hospice and university strategies to provide high quality education to support the best possible quality of care to the people we serve.”
The first cohort will join the course in September 2016. Further information can be found on the university’s website, or you can contact Claude on 01708 758646 or claudechidiac@sfh.org.uk.
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