About the Course:
A key NHS priority is to identify patients whose health is deteriorating and provide high quality, personalised care in life limiting illness.
High quality care considers each patient’s individual needs, preferences and available support networks and involves them, their families and carers in decisions around their care. Awareness of this issue has risen dramatically since COVID-19. Providing patients and families with options and support around the time of death is important, requiring difficult and sensitive conversations.
Targeted education and training of communication in life limiting illness has the potential to improve delivery of care for, and experiences of, patients and their families.
These resources aim to help you feel more confident and skilled in initiating these conversations and provide you with the key knowledge required to do this.
This course has been designed to be relevant to all postgraduate training programmes.
We have aligned our outcomes to meet the criteria required for achievement of some domains of the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Generic Professional Capabilities Framework.
Completion of this course is worth 5 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points.
About the Authors
Gregory Stamp
Greg is an Orthopaedic Registrar in the North East and Officer in the Army Reserves. He is interested in trauma surgery and sports medicine, and in the future wants to specialise in getting the best outcome for people who have suffered traumatic injury by applying cutting edge technology including bionics. He is a keen runner, cyclist and likes going on adventures with his border collie, Ted. Greg worked on this project while working as a Leadership and Management Fellow at Health Education England North East in 2020 - 22.
Mark McMullan
Mark is an Orthopaedic registrar based in the North East. Originally from Northern Ireland, he moved to Newcastle in 2012 after finishing university. He has a career interest in major trauma and enjoys teaching, most recently qualifying as an ATLS instructor. Once a keen rugby player, he has more recently adopted running and is targeting his first ultra marathon in 2021. Mark developed this project during his year working as a Leadership and Management Fellow at Health Education England North East.
Rebecca Holdsworth
Rebecca is an Academic GP trainee in North East England. She is currently researching dying and death experiences by junior doctors as part of a Medical Doctorate with Newcastle University and the National Institute of Health Research. She has an interest in Medical Education, both research and teaching, particularly undergraduate medical student primary care and end of life care. Rebecca plays hockey and enjoys good food with friends and walks with her husband and dog, Willow.
Lizzie Wood
Lizzie is a palliative medicine registrar in North East of England. Lizzie completed medical undergraduate studies and foundation training in Aberdeen and Inverness. She then spent 18 months working in New Zealand before moving to Newcastle to complete core medical training and a postgraduate certificate in education. Lizzie is an elected member of the Association of Palliative Medicine trainees and is an active member of the North East Palliative Registrar’s Research Alliance (NEPRRA). Outside of work Lizzie enjoys walking, cycling and cafes, especially in the mountains.
Instructor headshot:
Grace Rowley
Grace is a palliative medicine registrar in North East England. She qualified as a GP and worked in general practice and as a specialty doctor in palliative medicine before moving to palliative medicine training. Grace has a Masters in Medical Education which has allowed her to explore the theories behind education and develop her research skills in this area. She has also worked in Tanzania delivering palliative medicine education. Away from work Grace can be found chasing after two small children or running in the hills.
Max Charles
Max is a Palliative Care Registrar in North East England. After studying Human Genetics at university, he went on to train as a Secondary School Science teacher before medical school. He qualified as a GP and then finally decided to specialise in Palliative Medicine. Max teaches communication skills nationally and has a strong interest in education as well as educational research. In home life, Max is the servant to two wire-haired dachshunds Ziggy and Hilda and enjoys taking them for walks on the beautiful Northumberland coastline.
Jonathan Pickard
Dr Jonathan Pickard MBBS, MRCP (Palliative Medicine), PGCert Med Ed, FHEA is a Consultant in Palliative Medicine in the North-East. Graduating from Newcastle University in 2010, Jonathan furthered an interest in teaching by completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education with distinction, and gained subsequent accreditation as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
He regularly develops and delivers education and training to undergraduates, postgraduates and allied health professionals with a particular interest and focus on effective communication within his field of palliative medicine. Passionate about information technology, he puts his digital expertise to use in the development of unique reference and learning resources for doctors. He works hard with friends and colleagues to run courses helping palliative medicine trainees pass their Specialty Certificate Examinations.
His presentation style and creativity is derived from years of professional level close-up performance magic, which Jonathan has enjoyed as a unique hobby for over 20 years
Dr Johann Malawana
Founder and Director of The Healthcare Leadership Academy and Medics.Academy
Dr Johann has worked across government, professional, commercial, public sector and international organisations and developed an international reputation as a thought leader in Healthcare Education and Training, Commercialisation and Leadership. Having been trained as a medical doctor and obstetrician, he worked in the NHS for over a decade. Having undertaken several leadership roles across medicine, responsible for large teams, coordinating negotiations on behalf of the medical profession twice with the government and the NHS. Dr Malawana has been appointed previously by the privy council and the Secretary of State for Health to the Boards of the General Medical Council and Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board sitting on committees ranging from finance, pensions, ethics and policy work.
Dr Malawana has been recognised in all his previous roles for the exceptional contributions he has made and for having a huge impact on the environments he has worked within. Dr Malawana was appointed as the Healthcare UK, Department of International Trade Specialist Advisor on Education and Training for the UK Healthcare system where he developed strategic policies and partnerships for the public and private sector.
About the Organisations
Health Education England North East
Learner Support & Faculty Development, Health Education England North East
Medics Academy
We empower health professionals across the globe through innovative education and continued professional development.We are driving a digital transformation of professional healthcare training and development and aim to make it accessible to those across the globe and most in need. We believe this platform can improve care and save lives.Our team of doctors, engineers, artists and film-makers are creating an engaging platform to deliver the highest quality education available in the industry.