By Dr Joseph Hawkins, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Clinical lead for End of Life Care, Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust. Twitter: @JoeHawk75825077 Every Friday, between 5 pm and 6 pm large numbers of patients will be declared dying. This phenomenon- known as the the ‘Cinderella Effect’, is common in hospitals and demonstrates how […]
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On losing a friend and renouncing Schopenhauer
By Prof Mark Taubert, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Cardiff, UK “Mostly it is loss which teaches us about the worth of things.” ― Arthur Schopenhauer, Parerga and Paralipomena This year, I lost a very dear friend called Yiannis. Only in his late forties, he had a rare form of bone marrow cancer. He was a successful […]
The ‘Grab and Go’ Guide
In this Forum article, the authors describe the ‘Small Steps, Big Vision Grab and Go Guide’ with its focus on children and young adults Authors: Holly Smith, Acting Matron – Children & Young Adults Service St Oswald’s Hospice Gosforth Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 1EE UK, Diane Nicholson, Sister, Children and Young Adults St Oswald’s Hospice […]
3 years in
By Dr Joseph Hawkins, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Clinical lead for End of Life Care, Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust. Twitter: @JoeHawk75825077 Why every hospital deserves a ward for Palliative Care In December 2022 I wrote about our palliative care ward 1– it was just one year old at the time. When I […]
International Research Society of the Sapporo Conference Newsletter – Summer 2024
BMJ SPC Forum, in partnership with the International Research Society of the Sapporo Conference, Japan, co-publishes its seasonal Newsletter in the BMJ SPC Forum The following is from the Summer issue of the International Research Society of the Sapporo Conference for Palliative and Supportive Care in Cancer Newsletter that was published in July 2024 for […]
10 Golden rules of palliative care on how to manage a dying person – you’ll never guess number 4!
By Dr Joseph Hawkins, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Clinical lead for End of Life Care, Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust. Twitter: @JoeHawk75825077 If you prescribe midazolam 5 mg routinely for terminal agitation then you are wrong. Do say – try to use a dose that works first time. Don’t say – but […]
The ink is dry
By Dr Joseph Hawkins, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Clinical lead for End of Life Care, Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust. Twitter: @JoeHawk75825077 Stop writing cries the invigilator Your time is done. Too much, never enough, Time once so immutable a concept Solid as air Softly blowing a breeze when A hurricane hits Moments […]
I have rather unusual feelings about death. I find it beautiful.
I didn’t think it strange, growing up around such a perspective. My mother insisted, when I was preschool age, she would want to die if she were severely disabled. We were at the shopping mall, looking for shoes. She said it as breezily as if asking, “Would you like an ice cream?” True to form, […]
IRS-SCPSC / NEWSLETTER – SPRING 2024
BMJ SPC Forum, in partnership with the International Research Society of the Sapporo Conference, Japan, co-publishes the seasonal Newsletter The following is from the Spring issue of the International Research Society of the Sapporo Conference for Palliative and Supportive Care in Cancer Newsletter that was published in April 2024 for IRS-SCPSC members. To view the […]
Prolonged disorders of consciousness (PDoC): Challenges for hospice staff
Authors: Prof Nikki Pease, Consultant Palliative Medicine, Velindre NHS Trust Dr Siwan Seaman, Medical Director and Consultant, Marie Curie Hospice Cardiff and the Vale Clare Elwell. Clare’s husband was in a Prolonged Disorder of Consciousness and received end-of-life care following a best interests decision to discontinue CANH Prof Jenny Kitzinger, Professor of Communications Research, Coma & […]