Welcome from Director

Palliative Care Week 2022 Highlights 

Palliative Care Week has come to an end for another year, and we are delighted to have had such a successful week of raising awareness of the benefits of palliative care across the island of Ireland.

Our event in the Mansion House on Monday 12 September provided a wonderful opportunity to launch a week full of activity, including national and regional media interviews, a broad range of events, both in-person and online, and our video and podcast projects.
 
Again this year, we could not have achieved so much without the fantastic support of AIIHPC’s member organisations, Voices4Care members and the wider palliative and health care sector. This support included supporting AIIHPC’s planning in early 2022 to arranging and hosting events, sharing information on social media, participating in media interviews and our video and podcast projects and arranging promotional stands in places of work.  All these activities raised awareness of palliative care throughout the week and we are very grateful for your immense efforts.
 
I would also highlight the following highlights from the week:
 
Two press releases which contained results from AIIHPCs survey to establish the publics current perceptions of palliative care in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland View the press releases here

Surveys -  Please follow this link to view full results of the survey to establish the publics current perceptions of palliative care in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland here
 
2022 Video Project - Each year our Personal Experience videos are at the core of the campaign, they enrich everything we try to do during Palliative Care Week, and we are so grateful to all those who so generously share their personal experiences with us so that others can benefit. Thank you to Carmel Wilmot, Jim Newman, Alan Bradley, Gemma and Joe O’ Gorman, Andrea and Padraig Smith, Marian Mawhinney and the staff and residents of St Luke’s Home in Cork. View all videos here
 
Podcast Project (New for 2022) - This year we decided to produce a number of podcasts in order to innovate by creating a new platform for communication of our messaging. Our Communications Manager, Yvonne McCahill developed a number of topics with a range of professionals working in palliative care. Thank you to Dr Regina McQuillan, Dr Daniel Nuzum, Valerie Smith and Annmarie Casey for being part of the podcasts Listen to all podcasts here
 
Messages of Support - Wonderful messages of support for this year’s Palliative Care Week campaign were received from Minister for Health (ROI), Stephen Donnelly T.D. and from President Michael D Higgins. These messages are gratefully received as they strengthened the campaign and helped raise awareness of the benefits and the positive impact that palliative has on the lives of people with life limiting conditions and those close to them. We also had the wonderful support of An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin who participated in our launch photo with the Dunne family, who avail of services at Laura Lynn Ireland’s Children’s Hospice
See link to photo with Taoiseach
President Michael D. Higgins message of support
Minister for Health (ROI) Stephen Donnelly video

Events – We were fortunate to be able to host a number of in-person events again for 2022, including two ‘Death Cafes’ which took place in both Belfast and Dublin and were a great success. Overall, 23 events took place as part of Palliative Care Week. This does not include the several promotional stands arranged in hospices, hospitals and education settings throughout the week. Thank you to all who participated. A number of the webinars are available to watch back now on our YouTube channel (with more will follow in due course) here:

• Living as well as possible: Lessons from Palliative and End of Life Care forth Health Community – IFIC and AIIHPC
• Creating space, clarify and containment to manage the emotional impact of working in palliative care – Barbara Wren
• Shapes of Greif – An exploration of grief before and after death – Liz Gleeson

A full report of Palliative Care Week 2021 will be circulated in due course.

New appointments within AIIHPC's Team 

AIIHPC is delighted to welcome our new Business Support Officer, Denise McGreevy. Denise will contribute hugely to AIIHPC through her organisational skills and management of the finance function. Many of you will get to know Denise as she will also support Voices4Care members and the Nursing Home Programme ECHO sessions. Denise comes with a wealth of experience in both administration and accounts and is looking forward to taking her final ACCA exams in the near future.



We are delighted to welcome Dr Emer Brangan to the Institute’s Research team as Knowledge Transfer and Exchange Project Manager. Emer will focus on how palliative care research can impact policy and practice to deliver improved experiences for people with life-limiting conditions and their families. She will support the members of AIIHPC’s Palliative Care Research Network and Early Career Researcher Forum, throughout the research cycle, with how to maximise the impact of their work. As a social science researcher with experience across a range of healthcare systems and services, Emer has a particular interest in applied and collaborative approaches to research. Her background includes five years as a Clinical Scientist (Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering) in the UK’s National Health Service, followed by project managing the delivery of medical humanitarian support in DR Congo and Ethiopia. Emer joined her first research team in 2005 and spent 16 years working on a range of UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESCRC) and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded research programmes, before relocating back to Ireland in 2021.



 

AIIHPC Communities of Practice

As part of our efforts to support learning and practice in specialist palliative care, we have established two Communities of Practice (CoP): one for specialist palliative care Physiotherapists and another for specialist palliative care Pastoral Care and Chaplains.

The Communities of Practice facilitate people working in specific areas within specialist palliative care to come together to network, share experiences and expertise. Each CoP is lead and shaped by its members and supported by AIIHPC. The CoP meets approximately once a month with expert input on relevant topics followed questions and discussion. 

Each CoP has its own section on the AIIHPC’s Palliative Hub - Learning Platform, where members can find recordings of the expert input from each session along with relevant resources, research and tools to aid their practice.

If you are interested in joining either CoP, or wish to discuss them further please contact Joanne Morgan, Programme Manager for Education and Practice jmorgan@aiihpc.org

Update on Caru, the new learning programme for nursing homes.

Caru is a continuous learning programme developed by Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF), in partnership with AIIHPC and the HSE. Caru’s aims is to support and empower nursing homes and their staff in the delivery of palliative, end of life, and bereavement care, leading in turn to enhanced quality of life for residents, a good death, easing the bereavement process for their families. Shaped by a spirit of compassion for people in their care, it is underpinned by expertise, experience and research, to support and empower nursing homes.

AIIHPC is delighted to be involved in Caru and is leading on delivering the following strands of the programme:
Caru AIIHPC Webinars - The first AIIHPC webinar of the Caru initiative took place on Thursday 29 October 2022.  Dr Ruth McDonagh, Consultant Physician in Older Adult and Stroke Medicine at Tallaght University Hospital and Peamount Healthcare was the speaker at the webinar. The panellists were Mary Doyle, Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner - Care of the Older Person, Peamount Healthcare and Claire Noonan, Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Age-Related Healthcare, Tallaght University Hospital.  The webinar was facilitated by Joanne Morgan, Programme Manager for Education and Practice at AIIHPC.
 
The theme of the webinar was An Update on Parkinson’s Disease and Nursing Home Care.  Dr McDonagh’s talk addressed different elements of care for Nursing Home residents with Parkinson’s Disease, particularly focussing on non-motor symptoms that can have a profound impact on day-to-day quality of life.   Following the talk, the panel took live questions from the participant sites and an engaging and informative discussion ensued.
 
As a Caru partner, AIIHPC is facilitating 6 webinars per year on a wide range of topics which reflect the complexity of both palliative care and the care of older people.  These virtual learning events are free and are open to staff in all nursing homes.
 
Future Caru AIIHPC webinars (registration details to be circulated in the near future):
13 October 2022 - The Deteriorating Patient in a Nursing Home Setting, Claire Noonan, ANP in Gerontology 
27 October 2022 - Delirium and Nursing Home Care, Dr Aoife Fallon  
8 November 2022 - An Update on Falls and Nursing Home Care, Dr Robert Briggs
24 November 2022 - Palliative and End of Life Care in Residential Care Settings, Michael Connolly, Joint Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing (UCD) 
8 December 2022 - Update on mental Health and Older People in Residential Settings, Dr Niall Galligan
 
Project ECHO Nursing Home Knowledge Networks
The first Caru AIIHPC Project ECHO network will be open to all nursing homes in CHO Area 7 (Kildare/West Wicklow, Dublin West, Dublin South City, Dublin South West).  Nursing homes in CHO7 have been invited to attend information sessions in October to learn about the Project ECHO network model and benefits, meet the Project ECHO AIIHP team and facilitator, and find out how they can join the network.
 
The ECHO facilitator for this network will be Noreen Holland. Noreen is a Project Lead at Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services (OLHCS). She has a background in palliative nursing, having worked as Assistant Director of Nursing for Palliative Care at OLHCS. Noreen was drawn to hospice care for its mission and values, while working in the acute setting. She moved to work in Our Lady’s Hospice to learn about hospice and palliative care. Noreen has had the opportunity to work many areas of palliative nursing - as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in both the community setting and acute hospital setting, in education and latterly as ADON. She has recently completed Project ECHO Facilitator training with Hospice
For further information please contact Miriam Ahern, Project Manager for Nursing Home Education mahern@aiihpc.org
 

5th All Island Children's Palliative Care Conference

October Speaker Spotlight

Speaker: Prof Owen Smith, Clinical Lead NCCP Children and Adolescent Young People (CAYA) Cancer Programme
Topic: Moving the needle together to improve outcomes for Children, Adolescents and Young Adults with cancer across the Island of Ireland.

 

Speaker: Dr Fiona McElligott, Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street
Topic: Children’s palliative care developments in the Republic of Ireland
 
Full programme is available here
Follow on Twitter @cpcconf2022 for all the latest news on speakers and further updates.

AIIHPC is delighted to announce the keynote speakers for the 11^th Annual PCRN Symposium, including:

Professor Miriam Johnson, Professor of Palliative Medicine at Hull York Medical School and Director of the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre at the University of Hull. She is Adjunct Professor of Palliative Medicine at the University Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Miriam is also palliative care specialty joint lead for the Yorkshire and Humber Comprehensive Research Network and academic palliative care lead for the NIHR Integrated Academic Training Programme (and past IAT Director). Miriam will present her work and experience in methodology and delivering high quality palliative care research including clinical research studies, whilst ensuring interdisciplinary collaboration from the start.



Professor Kevin Brazil, Professor of Palliative Care in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Fellow in Centre of Social Innovation and Evidence, Queen’s University Belfast, and member of AIIHPC’s Palliative Care Research Network. He holds an honorary appointment in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario Canada. Kevin will present on his work and experience in leading the MySupport project. A 6-country EU funded project on the implementation of a family carer decision support intervention for families of people with advanced dementia.



Invitations to this year’s symposium and how to register for the event will be circulated this week.
 
Call for Abstracts from Early Career Researchers 
There is an opportunity for members of our Early Career Researcher Forum to showcase your research at this year’s Symposium. The Institute invites early career researchers to submit an abstract for oral presentation. We would particularly welcome abstracts from our ECRF members that address the theme of this year’s symposium – ‘Building collaboration for palliative care research between clinical and academic settings’.
 
All details regarding the abstract requirements and the abstract submission form can be accessed here: tinyurl.com/ECRFAbstractCall. Abstract submission will close on Friday 21 October. If you have queries, contact Clodagh O’Donovan: codonovan@aiihpc.org.

Welcome to new PCRN member, Dr Barry Quinn, Queen's University Belfast 

We are pleased to welcome our newest Palliative Care Research Network member, Dr Barry Quinn, who is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University Belfast, and the Centre for Leadership, Ethics and Organisation. He is interested in spirituality, equality, diversity, and inclusion in health care, as well as a holistic and person-centred approach to symptom management including advanced pain management and oral complications.

News from AIIHPC Partners, Funders and Key Stakeholders

IAPC 23rd Anniversary of the Annual Education and Research Seminar 2023. The seminar will take place on 2 February 2023. The Call for Abstracts is now open and submissions may only be made online at (Link) . The closing date and time for receipt of submissions is 5:00pm on Thursday the 6 October 2022. If you have any queries, please contact info@iapc.ie
 
The Palliative Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) conference ‘A time for action: Driving Quality Improvement in Patient Care' 26 April 9:00 am - April 27 2023 12:30 pm, Castletroy Park Hotel, Limerick
This conference is for healthcare professionals working in Specialist Palliative Care who wish to improve patients and families care using outcome measurement and quality improvement methodologies. It will offer opportunities for the practical exploration of the challenges of introducing outcome measures into routine practice and will include tips and insights for success. Conference delegates will have an opportunity to hear from and converse with members of PCOC Australia, and European and Irish experts.
 
Keynote Speakers include:

• Prof David Currow – Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Sustainable Futures at the University of Wollongong,
• Dr Barbara Daveson – Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration’s National Director and Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Health Services Research Institute,
• Prof Claudia Bausewein – Director of the Department of Palliative Medicine at Munich University Hospital and Chair for Palliative Medicine at Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich,
• Prof Fliss Murtagh – Professor of Palliative Care at Hull York Medical School, Associate Director of the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre and an NIHR Senior Investigator,
• Prof Karen Ryan – UCD Clinical Professor and Consultant in Palliative Medicine at St Francis Hospice and the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital,
• Dr Brian Creedon – Consultant in Palliative Medicine, University Hospital Waterford, Clinical Director for the National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA).

A call for abstracts is currently open until the 20 January 2023. Please see Abstract Submission Guidelines see website for further information (Link) and see link to poster (Link) . For any conference inquiries please contact the education department at education@milfordcarecentre.ie (061) 485881.
 
Graduate Nurse vacancies at Our Lady’s Hospice and Care Services
Our Lady’s Hospice and Care Services have vacancies within their team for Newly Graduated Nurse. Theses vacancies are for Staff Nurses (post qualification, pre-registration) or Graduate Nurses. The posts will be based at OLHCS Harold’s Cross, Blackrock and Wicklow locations and will be of infinite duration. For further information and application details, visit website (Link)   
 
Irish Cancer Society- Night Nursing Manager vacancy
The Irish Cancer Society is looking for a Night Nursing Manager to join the team. As Night Nursing Manager you will lead the night nursing service, ensuring high-quality patient centred care, and managing the effective operation of the service. This is a permanent, full-time position. The closing date is 11 October 2022. For further information and application details, visit (link)
 
Churchill Fellowships - Applications are now open for Churchill Fellowships focussed on three different areas; palliative and end of life care, physical activity for healthier lives and suicide prevention, intervention and postvention. Applications can be made via the website until 5pm on 22 November for projects to being August 2023. This is open to all UK citizens regardless of qualification, background or age.

Upcoming Events and Conferences 

OCTOBER 2022
Cicely Saunders International Annual Lecture 2022, 12 October 2022 16:00. This free online lecture 'Building palliative care services as we build houses: Improving quality of life for all through evidence-based policy' will be presented by Dr Marie-Charlotte Bouësseau. Dr Marie-Charlotte Bouessëau leads the World Health Organization's (WHO) activities on integrated palliative care, working in collaboration with different WHO Departments, Regional Offices and global partners active in this field. To register, visit: Cicely Saunders International Annual Lecture Online 2022 Tickets, Wed 12 Oct 2022 at 16:00 | Eventbrite
 
Non-Medical Prescribing in Cancer Care, Tuesday 11 October 2022, virtual online. This conference focuses on non-medical prescribing in cancer care. Through national updates and practical case studies the conference will demonstrate how the effective use of non-medical prescribing in cancer care can improve patient care, experience and outcomes. Link to further information (Link) or email kate@hc-uk.org.uk use code hcuk20aiihpc for a 20% discount.
 
North West Hospice: Explorations: National Palliative Care Conference, Thursday, 13 October 2022, The Sligo Park Hotel. The conference is open to all healthcare professionals who work within a generalist or specialist setting. This upcoming conference includes updates on the advancing role of nursing within palliative care, the role of palliative care within national policy and with other acute and primary care services.  The programme is available via this link (Link).
There are only 150 conference places so be sure to book early to ensure you get your spot on this event in the beautiful North West. It will also be a great networking opportunity. Category 1 approval has been obtained from NMBI. An application for CPD approval has been submitted to the RCPI. Registration and is now open via  this link http://northwesthospice.ie/event/nationalconference/
 
Global Research & Future Innovations in Best Care for the Dying Person, Thursday 13 October 2022, Royal College of Physicians North, Liverpool & Online. The programme will be of interest to consultants, trainees of all grades, specialist nurses and allied healthcare professionals with an interestin palliative and end of life care. Programme and registration information is available here and for queries please contact Jo Davies on joanne.davies@liverpool.ac.uk.
 
Cross-sector Partnerships to Build Capacity for Palliative and End-of-life Care Research. The Great Hall, Queen's University Belfast, Thursday 13 October 2022. For further information see the poster or the registration page (link)  
 
Reducing & Managing Pressure Ulcers at the End of Life Thursday 13 October 2022 VIRTUAL, Online. This conference focuses on the prevention and management of pressure ulcers at the end of life. For further information and to book your place (Link) or email aman@hc-uk.org.uk use code hcuk20aiihpc for a 20% discount.
 
Professional Training in the contemplative-Based Approach to End-of-Life Care for Health and Social Care Professionals The Authentic Presence Immersion Retreat on the 15 – 23 October 2022 is an experiential training in contemplative-based end-of-life care and employs a variety of learning modalities, including individual, group and interactive work, as well as presentations. No prior experience in mindfulness or meditation is required. For more information, please follow this link

23rd International Congress on Palliative Care, Montreal, Canada. 18-21 October 2022 here

Embracing Positive Living' 8th Annual Conference 2022 of the Northbridge House St Luke's Home Education and Research Centre, 19 October 2022, Radisson Blu Hotel, Little Island, Cork. The conference will be of interest to Healthcare Professionals working with older People in Healthcare Settings. Enquiries to claire.coakley@stlukeshome.ie or see link for further information see Link
 
 
NOVEMBER 2022
Improving End of Life Care for people with Cardiovascular Disease & Heart Failure Wednesday 9 November 2022, Virtual Online. Through national updates and practical case studies this conference focuses on improving end of life care for people with Cardiovascular Disease and Heart Failure through a person centred approach. For further information and to book your place (Link) or email aman@hc-uk.org.uk use code hcuk20aiihpc for a 20% discount.

Effective Non Medical Prescribing in End of Life Care Thursday 10 November 2022, Virtual Online. This important national conference provides an essential update for current and aspiring non medical prescribers on prescribing at the end of life. For further information and to book your place (Link) or email aman@hc-uk.org.uk use code hcuk20aiihpc for a 20% discount.

12^th international Seminar of the European Palliative Cre Research Centre, 16-18 November 2022 Aarhus, Denmark. Conference theme is: International collaboration – the key to progress. For full details click on (link) or click to Register now
 
5^th All Island Children's Palliative Care Conference (CPCC2022), Titanic Hotel, Belfast, 17-18 November 2022 in the Titanic Hotel, Belfast. The conference’s overarching theme is “Communication: compassion and common ground”. Full details at conference website
 
DECEMBER 2022
'Spiritual Care Nursing Education to Embrace New Challenges in a Moving World’ 6 December 2022, Health Sciences Centre, UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, UCD Belfield Campus (Link to flyer / link to registration ). This will be an in-person event and registration is free.
 
2^nd Dublin Advanced Pain & Symptom Management Courses, 12 & 13 December 2022, The Marker Hotel, Grand Canal Quay, Dublin For further information see  (Link). The aim of this 2-day advanced course is to provide delegates with an up-to-date, evidence-based review of the management of pain and other common symptoms / problems.
 
‘A time for action: Driving Quality Improvement in Patient Care' The Palliative Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) conference  26 April 9:00 am - April 27 2023 12:30 pm in the Castletroy Park Hotel, Limerick. A call for abstracts is currently open until the 20.01.2023. Please see Abstract Submission Guidelines see website for further information (Link) and see link to poster (Link) .  For any conference inquiries please contact the education department at education@milfordcarecentre.ie (061) 485881.
 
JUNE 2023
18^th World Congress 2023 ‘Equity and Diversity’, European Association for Palliative Care, 15 – 17 June 2023, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (Link) Call for abstracts is open until the 15 October (please following link for submission)

Please consult the AIIHPC website for our events listing which details conferences and events on the island of Ireland and internationally www.aiihpc.org