Part three in this exploration of themes from frontline care staff during the pandemic Authors: Dr Simon Tavabie – Royal London Hospital, Dr Katie Ball – Marie Curie Hospice Hampstead, Dr Rory Carrigan – University College London Hospital, Dr Stephanie Lister-Flynn – St Catherine’s Hospice Crawley As we enter the new year we’re offered a […]
Latest articles
Survival of the Kindest – a Christmas Podcast
by Dr Julian Abel, Cornwall, UK What is the collective noun for a group of palliative care consultants? A reflection, a chatter? Perhaps a mob? Or a dollop? In fact, do you like ice-cream? Then read on. It is not often that we have the opportunity to sit down and discuss our working lives with […]
Slipping Through the NET
A blog by patient Sally Jenkins, Cardiff, UK Palliative versus end of life care, we all know they’re not the same, but even so, they’re often used synonymously. Nowhere is the need to distinguish between them more pressing than in the management of neuroendocrine cancers, known as NeuroEndocrine Tumours, or ‘NETs’. Arising from unusual neuroendocrine […]
New Charter to support better life-long conversations about ‘What Matters Most’
News Experts from leading charities and health bodies in Wales and across the UK have launched a new charter to support better conversations between people and their loved ones on the topic of living at the end of our lives. It is hoped that this will encourage people to have open discussions, whatever stage they […]
The Development and Implementation of a National Covid-19 Hospital Guideline for Wales
Authors: Rhys Jeffries; Simon Barry; Laura Wallis; Chris Davies and Mark Taubert on behalf of the Respiratory Health Implementation Group Wales, the Institute of Clinical Science and Technology and the NHS Wales Health Collaborative, Cardiff, UK Guideline website: https://covid-19hospitalguideline.wales.nhs.uk/ Introduction: It became evident in early March 2020 that clinical practice in managing COVID-19 varied markedly […]
The Nordic walking experiences of a neurologist with Parkinsonism
by Professor Anica Jusic, Zagreb, Croatia Professor Anica Jusic is a retired neurologist in Zagreb, Croatia, and became aware of the need for further care for her patients – particularly those with progressive neurological disease, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. She attended the first International Symposium on ALS/MND in 1990 and she became aware of […]
Lesson from the First Wave: Developing symptom control guidance for COVID-19 patients who are deteriorating despite non-invasive ventilation (NIV) as their ceiling of treatment
Dr Lowri Evans (Registrar in Palliative Medicine) , Dr Clea Atkinson (Consultant Palliative Medicine), Professor Anthony Byrne (Consultant Palliative Medicine) Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Velindre University NHS Trust, Cardiff, UK In April 2020, the Palliative Care team at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) were contacted by the respiratory unit, asking for […]
Quality Improvement Initiative: Improving Weekend Written Handover for On-call Palliative Care Teams in the Hospital Setting
By Dr Noreen O’Shea, Department of Palliative Medicine, University Hospital Waterford, Dunmore Road, Waterford, Ireland Dr Denise Hayes, Department of Palliative Medicine, University Hospital Waterford, Dunmore Road, Waterford, Ireland Dr Emmet Walls, Department of Palliative Medicine, University Hospital Waterford, Dunmore Road, Waterford, Ireland Background: Patients of the Palliative Care service, requiring weekend review, have […]
End of life mouth care: the experiences of two dental professionals
By Professor Parmjit Singh and Miss Serpil Djemal The mouth is considered the most important organ of expression and it is often affected in the later stages of malignant terminal conditions.[1] As the disease advances, oral problems can cause great distress, pain and discomfort, interfering with appetite, taste, chewing, swallowing, nutrition, speech, social interactions, and […]
Crossed Communication Wires – A COVID-19 ward experience
Dr Ben Pyrke (Senior House Officer at University Hospital Llandough, Cardiff, UK), Dr Harriet White (Senior House Officer at University Hospital Llandough, Cardiff, UK), Dr Badr Abdalla(Clinical Fellow in Gastroenterology at University Hospital Llandough, UK), Dr Gwen Cartwright (Foundation Doctor Year 1 at University Hospital Llandough, Cardiff, UK) Pre-COVID-19 we relied on face-to-face consultations, […]