It is almost 20 years since ideas about an integrated pathway for the care of the dying were formulated by John Ellershaw and his colleagues in Liverpool. When I first heard the originator speak about it at a lunchtime seminar in Sheffield in November 2001, I recall a two-fold reaction. On the one hand it… Continue reading
In 1961 Cicely Saunders, in a short article written for a general audience, observed: ‘A society which shuns the dying must have an incomplete philosophy’ [1]. The remark is loaded with import. In her observation, ‘the dying’, seem to constitute a known social category. Not only neglected, they are persistently avoided, ignored, or rejected through… Continue reading
In 2018 we are celebrating the centenary of the birth of Cicely Saunders. She is the acknowledged founder of the modern hospice movement which led to the creation of the palliative care specialty. So we can expect to see a wide range of events and activities to mark the occasion, not only in her own country, but… Continue reading
We have very few global landmarks in the evolution of palliative care. So when a new one comes along it is important to take note, to reflect, and to consider the implications. The report of the Lancet Commission on Pain and Palliative Care is such a work. I was fortunate to be asked to join… Continue reading
I have always been fascinated by hospitals. They are spaces where some of the most intense and vulnerable moments of our lives happen, and for many of us, it is also be where we will spend our very last days of life and die. Given the importance of the hospital in our final illness trajectories,… Continue reading
Our latest study on the provision of palliative care in Scotland has a focus on the delivery of specialist services. We recognise of course that much palliative care is also delivered in non-specialist settings: in general practices, across hospitals, in care homes, and in the community. A big driver within the Scottish Government’s 2015 Strategic… Continue reading
In this conversation Professors Helle Timm and David Clark talk about the purpose and the challenges of mapping palliative care at a global and a European level, and on a more local basis in Denmark and in Scotland. Preview Helle Timm is a cultural sociologist and is Professor of Palliative Care at the Videncenter for… Continue reading
In this episode, medical anthropologist and global health expert Dr Shahaduz Zaman speaks to palliative care consultant Dr Nezamuddin Ahmad about a community project which delivers palliative care to people dying in the slums of Dhaka. The project, Compassionate Korail, was founded as a partnership between the Centre for Palliative Care (CPC) in Dhaka and… Continue reading
