Palliative Care MasterClass 2022

Course overview

Dual-specialism is rare in the UK when compared to the United States, and yet a dual skill-set in these two areas can improve quality of care and confidence of practitioners. This course offers a unique opportunity to develop just that across neurology and palliative care.

Palliative care specialists will receive a strong grounding in neurology and be equipped to apply their experience to the specific challenges that come with advanced neurological conditions, from communication to medication, complex symptoms to cognition.

Meanwhile, neurology specialists can hone their understanding of palliative and end of life care and feel confident applying palliative principles from diagnosis onwards, compassionately supporting patients in understanding and preparing for 'a good death' in time.

About the course

Delivered in a unique hybrid learning format, the first modules of the course are virtual. Available at the point of successful registration, they can be accessed in the delegate's own time and at their preferred learning pace.

Module 1, 'The basics of neurology', and module 2, 'The basics of palliative care' can be accessed entirely, in part, or not at all depending on the delegates' own knowledge and abilities. Additional resources further round out the learning as required, and the modules are completely self-directed.

All delegates are expected to tailor their virtual education element so that they arrive at module 3, a 2-day residential course, with a strong grounding in both palliative care and neurology, to allow for deep-dive education and complex case discussion during this final module.

Providing an approach to neuro-palliative care within the framework of four common neurological conditions: Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis (MS), dementia, and motor neurone disease (MND), the course uses case-based learning and expert panel discussion to look at the specific aspects of palliative and end of life care pertaining to each condition, as well as examining common cross-condition challenges experienced in neurology at the end of life.

Learning objectives across all delegates:

For delegates with a background in palliative care:

1. To develop a more in-depth knowledge of common neurological conditions as a basis for palliative interventions (multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's, dementia and motor neurone disease (MND).)
2. To gain understanding of common management strategies for these neurological conditions
3. To understand symptom and disease-specific interventions via case-based learning to support clinical practice

For delegates with a background in neurology:

1. To understand basic palliative care principles and their application in neurology
2. To gain insight into neuropalliative care and how it fits into current practice
3. To understand symptom and disease-specific interventions via case-based learning to support clinical practice

As well as the following across all delegates:

1. To develop a greater knowledge of how to update existing and augment new models of care, national guidance and existing pathways
2. To discuss how we can collaborate to utilise recent national reports to improve services ( for example GIRFT, NNAG)
3. To share experience and learning across peers and begin to reduce variance in palliative care provision
4. To facilitate professional development through upskilling and the development of peer networks

Timeframe

• October 2022 : Launch of online modules 1 and 2

• May 2023: Module 3: in-person course