Integrated Palliative & End of Life Care

The normal minimum requirement is a degree equivalent to UK first-class or second-class honours (2:2 or above) in a health or social care related subject. Other subjects may be considered subject to a successful interview. You must be currently working in a healthcare setting. If you have a minimum of five years’ experience working within health and social care and are able to demonstrate evidence of relevant continuous professional development, you may be able to access the course without a degree, subject to a successful interview.

This programme is designed to make palliative and end-of-life care real, meaningful and accessible for all frontline clinical staff. The programme is suitable for nurses (community, hospital, nursing home, hospice), health and social care practitioners, allied health professionals, paramedics and doctors (GPs, specialist doctors and doctors in training). You will gain enhanced knowledge, confidence and competence in assessing the palliative and end-of-life care needs of patients and their families, with a particular focus on transforming end-of-life communication and the psychology of spiritual care and positive emotion. The impact in different disease trajectories will be explored, looking for similarities and differences and seeing how these might be managed. In addition, you will learn how to manage symptoms and address concerns arising across the four domains of holistic care (physical, psychological, spiritual and social), consider the ethical and legal aspects of care, and undertake an advanced practice project, underpinned by a detailed understanding of clinical education research.

Assessment methods vary according to the demands of each module and include written assignments, designing a teaching pack, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), portfolios, seminar presentations and work-based learning projects.