Conference Archives

Technological Innovation in Palliative Care Conference

What if we reimagined palliative care for a digital age?
What if we could harness technology without losing what matters most?
What if the next chapter of palliative care is being written now?

Technology is changing healthcare at pace. Across palliative and end-of-life care, new possibilities are emerging through research, digital innovation, data science, virtual technologies and artificial intelligence. At the same time, fundamental questions remain.

How do we harness technology while preserving dignity, equity, human connection and person-centred decision-making?
How do we shape a future that reflects the values at the heart of palliative care?

We believe it is possible to create a future in which technology supports better care, stronger connections, greater accessibility and new opportunities for learning, while remaining grounded in what matters most to patients, families, communities and professionals.

Outline
Who should attend?
What will you gain?
Speakers

You are invited to join colleagues from hospices, health and social care organisations, palliative care services, academia and the wider research community in a conversation about what that future could look like.

Through keynote presentations, research showcases and interactive discussion, we will explore real-world examples of technological innovation in palliative care, including virtual reality, digital services, automation, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, advance care planning technologies and emerging questions about death, grief and digital presence. These themes reflect the conference programme and its breadth of perspectives.

Together, we will explore what is possible, what is responsible, what is evidence-informed and what is yet to be understood. We will share experiences, challenge assumptions, learn from one another and consider how innovation can be translated into safe, meaningful and compassionate practice.

If you choose to join us, we ask that you:

Come with curiosity.
Be willing to share your perspectives and experiences.
Engage respectfully with different viewpoints.
Help create a space for supportive dialogue and collective learning.

This conference is suitable for anyone with an interest in research, innovation and the future of palliative care, including:

Hospice and palliative care professionals
Nurses and Allied Health Professionals
Clinical leaders and consultants
Social care professionals
Researchers and academics
Digital, data and innovation leads
Service managers and operational leaders

Topics currently under development include:

Learn from real-world examples of innovation in hospice care
Explore the opportunities and challenges of AI and emerging technologies
Discover how research can be translated into everyday practice
Connect with colleagues from across the sector
Leave with practical ideas to support future service improvement and innovation

Programme and speakers will be announced soon.

More speaker and detailed programme information to come.

Dr Guy Peryer

Guy is Director of Research at St Christopher’s hospice. He is a Chartered Psychologist with extensive experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of complex interventions.

Dr. Amara Nwosu

Dr. Amara Nwosu is a Senior Clinical Lecturer in Palliative Care at Lancaster Medical School. In this plenary session, Dr. Amara Nwosu will deliver an engaging, thought-provoking examination of how…

Penny Scaffold

Digital Developer and Learning Technologist

Rachel Melsom

Palliative and End of Life Care Digital Transformation Lead

Dr Nicola White

Dr Nicola White is a Principal Research Fellow and Deputy Head of the Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department at UCL. She leads a programme of research on virtual reality…

Matt Tregellas

After graduating from the University of Sheffield, Matt moved to Japan where he began his career as an English language teacher. After three years, Matt returned to the UK where…

Gail Preston

Gail has been a physiotherapist for over 20 years, initially specialising in Neuro Rehab before moving into Palliative Care. Over the last 15 years she has developed and evaluated services…

Prof Joanna Davies

Research Fellow, KCL/CSI

James Norris

Founder and European Lead – MyWishes

Daliya Rizvi

Daliya Rizvi is a senior undergraduate at Duke University studying Immuno-Oncology: Ethics and Applications, a self-designed interdisciplinary major. Her research focuses on cross-cultural perspectives on palliative care and end-of-life support,…

Dr Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basińska

Dr Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basińska is an Assistant Research Professor at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge. In 2024, she was selected for the AI2050 programme by…

We Need To Talk About Frailty Conference

Our one-day frailty and palliative care conference brings together experts, practitioners and leaders from across health and social care to explore the latest research, policy and practice. More importantly, it asks how we can turn knowledge into action.

Through shared learning, practical examples and cross-sector discussion, this conference will challenge us to think differently about how we support people living with frailty and those approaching the end of life.

We Need To Talk About Frailty Conference - graphic with date (3 December)

Please look at our ‘Progamme’ tab to explore the full overview of the day. The conference will include three workshops based on examples of frailty care in practice and integrating across systems. In-person conference attendees will have the choice between different settings; hospice, hospital and community. Virtual conference attendees will join the hospice workshop.

About
Who is it for?
Speakers
Programme
Workshops

The theme of this year’s conference is We need to talk about frailty: from conversations to actions.

Frailty is one of the defining challenges facing health and care today. As more people live longer with increasingly complex needs, professionals across hospices, hospitals, primary care, care homes and community services are supporting people living with frailty every day.

During the conference, we will explore how health and care systems can work effectively with communities and wider society to support people living with and dying from frailty. Together, we will examine how we can move beyond recognising the challenges of frailty towards taking practical action that improves care and outcomes.

Through discussions on national policy, including MSFs (Modern Service Frameworks), alongside the latest research, innovation and examples of best practice, we will consider how different sectors can work together to provide more coordinated, person-centred care.

On the day, you can also expect:

Posters and exhibition stands
Expert plenary sessions, panel discussions and interactive workshops
Networking opportunities with professionals from across health, social care and community settings

Join us as we move the conversation on frailty forward — from discussion to action.

Aimed at any health and social care professional who supports people with frailty and those who are toward the end of life. The day will be of particular interest to those working in hospices, hospitals, community groups, care homes and general practice.

Helena Talbot Rice

Helena joined St Christopher’s in June 2011 after thirteen years working clinically in the acute sector in the NHS. Prior to St Christopher’s, she worked in various large teaching hospitals…

Dr Sara Robbins

Sara qualified from Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ Medical School in 2011 and is currently the Medical Director at St Christopher’s. From an early stage in her career, she developed…

Dr Esther Clift

Esther leads an Acute Frailty Service on the Isle of Wight. She is an associate lecturer at Winchester University, leading on rehabilitation in ageing. She examines and is a board…

Dr Sarah Bell

Dr Sarah Bell is the Medical Director and Deputy CEO of Garden House Hospice Care. After training and starting her career at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, she…

Dr Daniel Harman

Dan is a Consultant Community Geriatrician and Joint Clinical Lead at the Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre (JBICC), Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire. Dan and colleagues working within the…

Dr Tom Downes

Tom completed medical training at Guy’s Hospital, London in 1993. He has been a Consultant Geriatrician at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals since 2003 and gained his MBA from Nottingham University Business…

Dr Daniel Stow

Daniel is a Lecturer in Epidemiology at the Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London. His PhD at Newcastle University examined frailty and end-of-life care in primary…

Dr Matthew Butler

Matthew is a Consultant Geriatrician at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, where he is the Trust Clinical Lead for End of Life Care, and the newly appointed Clinical Lead for Frailty at…

Mary Hodgson, PhD.

Mary is Director of Inclusion & Social Innovation at St Christopher’s where she is responsible for our community action, lived experience working and tackling inequalities work to create greater health…

Dr Sarah Ribbands

Dr Sarah Ribbands graduated Exeter University in 2004 with an LLB in Law, and latterly from University of Cardiff with a masters in medical law LLM. Subsequently, she worked in…

Prof Caroline Nicholson

Professor Caroline Nicholson is a leading clinical academic nurse who champions “Palliative Care for ALL.” She holds a Chair in Palliative Care and Ageing within the School of Health Sciences…

Time	Session
9:00am	Arrival and Registration
9:20am	Welcome and introduction to the day
9:30am	National Picture – current frailty policy Tom Downes, National Clinical Director for Older People – NHS England
10:30am	What is the evidence on the needs of people dying with frailty? Daniel Stow, Lecturer in Epidemiology Queen Mary University of London EnRICH research Matt Butler, Consultant Geriatrician
11:15am	Morning Break
11:30am	Living well dying well – Frailty model in Hull Daniel Harman, Consultant Community Geriatrician Frailty model at Garden House Hospice Dr Sarah Bell, Medical Director & Lisa Hunt, CEO
12:10pm	Panel Discussion and Q&A Including Tom Downes, Caroline Nicholson, Cat Sullivan, and Esther Clift
12:45pm	Lunch
1:45pm	Workshops: Frailty care in practice & integrating across systems Please see ‘Workshops’ tab for more info
3:15pm	Afternoon Break
3:30pm	Coming together from workshops Conference Chairs
3:45pm	Final plenary – call to arms Caroline Nicholson, Professor of Palliative Care & Aging University of Surrey
4:15pm	Q&A
4:25pm	Reflections & Close Conference Chairs

As seen in the programme, we are holding afternoon workshops on ‘Frailty care in practice & integrating across systems‘.

All delegates will attend one 90 minute workshop focusing on examples in practice and integrating across systems.

Anyone joining in-person will be able to choose when registering which setting is most relevant to you: Hospital, Hospice or Community. You will be directed to the relevant room for that workshop.

If you are joining us online, you will be automatically selected for the Hospice workshop.

Hospital

In the Hospital workshop, you’ll hear from two teams that run specific frailty services supporting people towards the end of life within a Hospital setting. You’ll have the opportunity to consider how their learning could influence the services that you provide. The two teams speaking at this workshop are:

Croydon University Hospital A&E
T2 Ward (The Willows) from Addenbrookes Hospital: A nurse led end of life care ward focused on the individual needs and wishes of patients and their families.

Hospice

If you are working in, or with hospices, this workshop will enable you to hear and develop your own thoughts on best practice. Hear from Garden House Hospice who run an Advancing Illness service and consider how this sits in the national context with Hospice UK. Bringing these together may help shape and influence your services.

Community

Creating innovative and responsive services that meet the needs of our population is essential in the community and links into the NHS 10 year plan. The Isle of Wight Frailty Service will share their experiences and challenges to support you in thinking how you can apply this to your practice, or develop services appropriate to your context. Explore the wealth of community relationships outside of existing and traditional organisational structures.

Motor Neurone Disease Annual Conference

For more than 30 years, the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Annual Conference has brought together healthcare professionals, researchers and people with lived experience to share knowledge, explore challenges and strengthen care for people living with MND.

In partnership with

This one‑day conference offers space to reflect, learn and connect, with a focus on the latest developments in MND research and treatment. Topics include advances in genetics, communication technologies and the ethical questions that can arise in care. A defining strength of the day is hearing directly from people living with MND, whose experiences help shape understanding and inform compassionate, person‑centred practice.

The conference is jointly led by St Christopher’s Hospice and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

About
Who should attend?
Topics
Programme
Speakers

Join us for a full‑day conference exploring the latest research and developments in Motor Neurone Disease (MND), and how new evidence can support and shape clinical practice.

The programme brings together leading clinicians, researchers and people with lived experience of MND, offering insight into what it’s really like to live with the condition and the challenges faced by those providing care. You’ll hear directly from people living with MND, helping ground learning in real experiences and everyday realities.

You can attend in person or online and take part in an engaging programme of expert‑led sessions, discussion and networking with professionals from across neurology, palliative care and the wider multidisciplinary team.

This conference is designed for healthcare professionals involved in the care and support of people living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). It will be particularly relevant for, but not limited to:

Doctors in primary and secondary care
Consultant and specialist clinicians
Clinical Nurse Specialists
Community and District Nurses
Palliative Care Practitioners
Speech and Language Therapists
Physiotherapists
Occupational Therapists
Dietitians
Social workers, counsellors and psychologists
Chaplains and spiritual care providers
Qualified care home staff
Other professionals involved in the multidisciplinary care of people with MND

The conference is primarily focused on professional learning, while also valuing insights from people with lived experience of MND.

This year’s conference will explore the latest research, clinical developments and emerging practice across key areas of Motor Neurone Disease, including:

Genetics – Advances in understanding the genetic factors involved in MND, including implications for future prevention and treatment.
Communication – How emerging technologies and tools are supporting communication and helping to restore voices for people living with MND.
Research Update – The latest research findings and developments from King’s College Hospital and King’s College London.
Ethical Dilemmas – Ethical issues relating to mental capacity, decision‑making and care planning in MND.

Throughout the programme, you will also hear directly from people with lived experience of MND, who will share insights into the services, treatments and resources that support them and their families.

Time	Session title
9:00am	Arrival & registration
Chair: Dr Cathy Ellis
9:30am	Welcome & introductions
9:40am	Management of Spasticity in MND Dr Eleonora Bradaschia
10:25am	Ethical Dilemmas Dr Laura Smith
11:00am	Morning break
Chair: Dr Emma Hall
11:20am	Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for people living with MND Prof Rebecca Gould
12:05pm	Communication Richard Cave
1:00pm	Lunch
Chair: Dr Jemeen Sreedharan
1:45pm	Clinical Trials Update Dr Jemeen Sreedharan
2:20pm	Oxford Research Update Prof Martin Turner
3:00pm	Afternoon break
3:30pm	Between Thought and Expression, Lies a Lifetime: The Inner Lifeworlds of MND Prof Andrew Irving
4:15pm	Q&A, reflections, & Close

Festive Gifting

Free furniture collections

CARE Event Type: Conference