‘It is a difficult topic to study and this conference was a research benchmark in a developing specialty. There is no laboratory test for suffering and you cannot see pain, loneliness, or anxiety on a CT scan. Research is difficult,’ writes BMJ primary care editor Domhnall MacAulay, in his latest published blog. Domhnall attended the […]
Latest articles
BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care receives a noble introduction in Edinburgh
Delegates of the COMPASS conference, including many key figures in the supportive and palliative care community, joined the BMJ Group and Editor-in-Chief Bill Noble in Edinburgh on 14 April to celebrate the official launch of the new journal. As guests were mingling at the champagne reception, the music of the pipes drifted closer. Then in […]
New guidance for GPs caring for adults at end of life
The NHS National End of Life Care Programme (NEoLCP), in collaboration with the National Nurse Consultant Group, has released a set of best practice guidelines for GPs and staff responsible for adult care after death. The guidance covers advice on honouring the wishes of the deceased person and their family or carers. It includes respecting […]
English developments in end of life care policy
End of life commissioning debate A breakfast event hosted by The King’s Fund, London covered early findings from the Fund’s ongoing research into the effective commissioning of end of life care services in England. Presentations by Rachael Addicott, King’s Fund Senior Fellow; Tom Hughes-Hallett, Chief Executive of Marie Curie Cancer Care, and Chair of the […]
Boost for palliative care nurses in Africa
The African Palliative Care Association (APCA) and the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa (FHSSA) have announced a scholarship fund to support nurses’ education and training in palliative care services. The African Palliative Care Nursing Scholarship Fund will provide funding of up to $4,000 (US dollars) to cover training and costs (within Africa) over a […]
SHORT CUTS
Articles of interest in other scholarly journals Celiac plexus block for pancreatic cancer pain in adults Arcidiacono PG, Calori G, Carrara S, McNicol ED, Testoni PA.Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2011;3. CD007519. In this Cochrane review, the authors conclude that although statistical evidence is minimal for the superiority of Celiac plexus block pain relief over analgesic therapy, […]
‘Quality’ more important than ‘quantity’ at end of life
In a Europe-wide survey released this week, the majority of respondents said that quality of life would be more important than length of time left to live if faced with a serious illness beyond treatment. The European Commission-funded project compared individuals’ priorities for end of life care across seven different countries including England, Germany, The […]
Who should fund palliative care services in the UK?
Public responses to a questionnaire released by the Palliative Care Funding Review team have been captured on a new online tracking system and can be read in full here. The latest questionnaire to be developed by the Review team asks respondents to give their views on which core components of adult and children’s palliative care […]
‘Holding the baby’ at the end of life
J Gibbins,1 C Reid,2 R McCoubrie2 1SpR Palliative Medicine, Department of Palliative Medicine, Bristol Haematology & Oncology Centre, Horfield, Bristol, UK 2Department of Palliative Medicine, Bristol Haematology & Oncology Centre, Horfield, Bristol, UK Correspondence to Dr Jane Gibbins; janegibbins@hotmail.com Abstract Although there are obvious differences in caring for people at the extremes of life (newborns […]
Improved end of life care for heart failure patients in Scotland
The Evening Times this week reports the launch of a £3.6 million pilot project to improve end of life care for heart failure patients in hospitals, hospices, care homes and at home in Scotland. The ‘Caring Together’ project is a collaborative effort between the British Heart Foundation Scotland, Marie Curie Cancer Care and the NHS […]