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Physician Associate Introduction to Palliative Care Community of Practice

Quality End of Life Care for All (QELCA) Train the Trainer Programme

This introductory programme is for physician associates with an interest in furthering their knowledge and skills in palliative care.

This is the first palliative care programme in the UK specifically tailored to physician associates.

This community of practice will consist of four afternoon sessions, providing an opportunity for developing communication skills and networking. The first three sessions will be via Zoom and the last session in-person at St Christopher’s CARE in Sydenham.

The four sessions will focus on:

  • An introduction to palliative care
  • Symptom control and psychological support
  • End of life care including recognising dying and anticipatory medicines
  • Communication skills involving scenarios

Who is it for?

This community of practice is open to physician associates either working in palliative care or primary care within the boroughs served by St. Christopher’s Hospice.

CPD accreditation from the FPA (Faculty of Physician Associates) pending

Please email education@stchristophers.org.uk if you are interested to join this future community.

The global learning objectives for this community are to:

  • Understand the core principles of palliative care, including symptom management, communication, and holistic patient care.
  • Reflect on personal attitudes and biases related to death, dying, and end-of-life care, and develop a compassionate and empathetic approach towards patients and their families.

Philippa Guppy

Philippa is a palliative care trainee in London, she combines her clinical role with her educational role as senior lecturer, chief OSCE examiner for the MPAS programme and chief examiner…
Read More Philippa Guppy

Chris Mangar

Chris is a Clinical Team Lead working for St Christopher’s in Bromley. He has worked in the community for many years and in specialist palliative care since 2011.  Chris combined holding…
Read More Chris Mangar

Independent Prescribers – Community of Practice

Independent Prescribers

The 2026/27 community is now available for booking.

Sessions take place bi-monthly online on Zoom and run from 2 – 3.30pm.

Resources and recordings will be made available to you on our Online Learning Platform, allowing you to sign up for the community at any time during the year.

What will the Community of Practice look like?

This annual membership programme provides an online community of practice supporting Nurses and Allied Health Care Professionals who are independent prescribers working in palliative and end of life care. The community provides members with a space for reflection, discussion and sharing of best practice.

This year we have chosen to continue with last year’s format of delivery ensuring we maximise opportunities for people to learn together as a community during live sessions. This community will meet 6 times per year (alternate months). In between the live sessions ongoing learning, reflection and critical thinking will also be facilitated through on demand resources, activities and forum discussions.

The sessions, covering a wide range of end of life prescribing issues, will include opportunities to learn from clinical experts whilst being supported to consider application of learning in practice through case study discussions, reflection and Q&A.

Members of the community can access the presentations on our Online Learning Platform (OLP). The OLP will also be home to documents, reference materials and the case studies discussed in the sessions.

What will I learn?

The next session is Tuesday 24th November, 2 – 3.30pm

Topic: Optimising the use of injectable end-of-life medications at home: evidence and next steps

Please note: Even if you have missed earlier sessions you can still join the community as you will have access to our Online Learning Platform where all recordings and resources can be found.

This year’s topics will cover:

  • Neuropathic pain
  • Steroids
  • Medicine reconciliation
  • Prescribing for insomnia
  • Optimising the use of injectable end-of-life medications at home: evidence and next steps
  • Managing distress/agitation in dementia patients at the end of life

Who is it for?

This community will be of interest to nurse and allied health professional independent prescribers working in palliative care.

Tuesday 21st April2-3.30pm
Tuesday 16th June2-3.30pm
Tuesday 21st July2-3.30pm
Tuesday 22nd September2-3.30pm
Tuesday 24th November2-3.30pm
Tuesday 19th January2-3.30pm

Fiona Hodson

Consultant Nurse Fiona trained at Guy’s and St Thomas’. She initially worked at St Christopher’s Hospice with Dame Cicely Saunders. She then specialised in cardiology for 26 years including setting up cardiac rehab services, running cardiac support groups and as a valvular research nurse. She then worked as a heart failure CNS both in hospital and running clinics in GP practices. In 2005 she was part of a joint research project between palliative care and cardiology, exploring the palliative care needs of heart failure patients. She then moved to work as a community palliative care CNS at Guys. In 2017…
Read full profile Fiona Hodson