Observatory News from 2011

New appointment for Observatory Director

Professor Sheila Payne, Director of the International Observatory on End of Life Care (DHR) attended the official launch of the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) in Dublin and Belfast on 27 and 28 October. Professor Payne has been appointed as an Expert Collaborator to the AIIHPC which is a cross border initiative designed to improve research, clinical practice, education and policy development in palliative care throughout Ireland, funded by a consortium with 8m euros over five years. The AIIHPC has drawn upon models of work pioneered by the Cancer Experiences Collaborative which is led by Professor Payne.

Updated: November 2011

New Country Report

For the first time, the Observatory has created a new country report based on a country in Western Europe.

This country report on Greece follows a break of 3 years. Dr Tom Lynch will be working on other reports over the coming months.

To view the report, click here. For more information, contact Tom Lynch.

Updated: July 2011

Observatory PhD Student Success

Zoe Cockshott has become the Observatory's third student to successfully achieve her PhD with us. We are deeply thrilled at this worthy recognition of Dr Cockshott's hard work and wish her well in the future.

Updated: June 2011

The Richard Walter Bursary for the PhD in Palliative Care

Deborah Hayden, a Nurse Tutor and Lecturer from Ireland, has been awarded the Richard Walter Bursary to undertake a PhD in Palliative Care. The generous bursary, in memory of Richard Walter, was donated to the International Observatory on End of Life Care, in the Division of Health Research, School of Health and Medicine. It will make a significant contribution to cover fees and other expenses incurred on this world leading part-time blended learning PhD programme. Competition for the award was fierce, with many high quality international and UK applications, indicating the interest in pursuing a doctoral degree. Deborah will be joining over 20 other new students on the course starting on 13th June. Deborah expressed her gratitude by saying: "I honestly feel so privileged and will work to the best of my ability to honour this very generous award."

Updated: June 2011

Professor Sheila Payne elected as President of the European Association for Palliative Care

Professor Sheila Payne (International Observatory on End of Life Care, SHM) has been elected as President of the European Association for Palliative Care. This is a leading advocacy role within the EU and throughout Europe and globally, promoting the development of palliative care, research and education. The European Association for Palliative Care represents 46 national associations from 26 countries in Europe. Professor Payne is the first non medical doctor to hold this appointment, which lasts for four years. It places the International Observatory on End of Life Care and Lancaster University in a leading role within this field.

Updated: June 2011

£130,000 study into how terminally ill people are cared for at home

The Observatory has been awarded over £130,000 to investigate how people care for relatives or friends who die at home. The two year study, starting on June 1st and funded by Marie Curie Cancer Care, will feed back into the NHS End of Life Programme and inform government policy on how best to support carers. The in-depth study entitled "Unpacking the home" will involve interviews with approximately 50 bereaved carers in the North West and South West of England, where there is a large population of older people. The research will be led by Professor Sheila Payne, Director of the Observatory, who is a health psychologist with a background in nursing.

Updated: May 2011

Nursing Times.net interviews Professor Sheila Payne

Professor Sheila Payne was recently interviewed as part of the Nursing Times.net '60 Seconds with...' feature.

To view the revealing questions and answers, visit this link.

Updated: April 2011

Evaluation of the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) recently completed

Anne Grinyer and Zephyrine Barbarachild have recently completed an evaluation of the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) Units' palliative and end of life care services. The resulting Report is to be launched at an event at University College London Hospital on May 6th. Simon Davies, the Chief Executive of the TCT, said "As no other evaluation has been undertaken in this specialist field, this study will become a foundation reference point for future work and will inform training and development."

Further information can be obtained by clicking here.

Updated: May 2011

HIEC Co-ordinator appointed

Janet Rigby has been appointed as a Research Associate for one year, to co-ordinate the Lancashire and Cumbria Health Innovation and Education Cluster (HIEC) End of Life project, under the direction of Professor Sheila Payne and Dr Sarah Brearley. HIECs were introduced in the NHS Next Stage Review, and are intended to foster collaboration between industry, education and health care. Janet will be working with groups of generalist staff in hospitals, primary care and care homes, to assist them in identifying gaps in their end of life care knowledge, and facilitating relevant learning using existing educational and information resources.

Updated: April 2011