Nazir Lone, Clinical Senior Lecturer in Critical Care, University of Edinburgh, Consultant in Critical Care, NHS Lothian

Advances in medicine have created new possibilities for extending life. These advances have also created new challenges of communication and a need for rapid and tough decisions about what is right as well as what is possible. Nazir will share his experiences, perspectives and recent research findings.

Back to top

Deborah Bowman, Professor of Medical Ethics and Law, St Georges University of London

What does it mean to be socially engaged as a health or social care professional? Is there a tension between the personal and professional? Drawing on the arts and focusing on practical examples, Deborah Bowman explores the relationship between advocacy, marginalisation and the ethical professional. She considers the ways in which individuals might navigate the complex political and social landscape in which they work and live.

Back to top

Diana Hekerem, Head of Strategic Commissioning Support at Healthcare Improvement Scotland

Using digital polling Diana will lead delegates in a collective iterative exploration of how integration and the strategic commissioning of palliative care is being experienced across Scotland. Diana will also offer insights on how commissioning might best evolve in future to meet the needs of people nearing the end of life.

Back to top

Jeremy Keen, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Highland Hospice

Jeremy will explore how specialists in palliative care can build partnerships and share experience and expertise with non-specialist colleagues dispersed across the health and social care system. The presentation will draw on Highland’s recent experiences of the innovative Project ECHO approach. What difference might this sort of approach make for people needing care, what are the challenges and what is the potential?

Back to top

Havi Carel, Professor of Philosophy at Bristol University

Using the symptom of breathlessness, of which she has personal experience, Havi will examine how we think about disease and illness more widely. How is illness experienced? What can the voices of experience tell us, and how should that influence how we work?”

Back to top

Conference delegates can choose to attend one of the following break-out sessions:

Better Outcomes and Lower Costs?

Jo Bowden, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, NHS Fife; Research Fellow, University of Edinburgh

Jo will discuss findings from the recent evaluation of the Fife model of Proactive Best Supportive Care for people with lung cancer. How have outcomes for this group been improved? What has the health economic impact of early intervention been? What lessons might be drawn for people with other conditions?

Who is really using services and what do they actually want?

Dr Robby Steel, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist, NHS Lothian and Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, University of Edinburgh

Drawing on a successful project at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Robby will illustrate how careful use of data can inform more targeted, proactive and person-centred responses at the hospital front door, and elsewhere. What might be the implications for palliative care practitioners and services?

Redesigning palliative care in the community

Susanne Gray, Macmillan Nurse, and Dr Katie Clark, GP Palliative Care Facilitator, Renfrewshire HSCP

Susanne and Katie will share learning from a project which explored and successfully developed ways to integrate supportive and palliative care approaches into mainstream primary & community care service provision.

The “Last Aid” course – an approach to promoting public discussion, awareness and education

Dr Georg Bollig, Consultant in Palliative Care, Hospital of Southern Jutland, Denmark

In the beginning there was “First Aid. Now there is “Last Aid”. Georg will introduce the concept of the “Last Aid” course and share experiences of its use in Denmark, Norway and Germany.

Back to top

Are you involved in an interesting project or in an area of work that you would like to discuss with or show to others in Scotland with an interest in palliative care? If so, why not apply to display a poster of your work at the SPPC Conference?

The annual poster exhibition is an essential part of learning and sharing best practice at the conference. Last year's exhibition showcased 36 posters, sharing a variety of work from across Scotland.

If you are interested in presenting a poster to be part of the exhibition, please complete a poster proposal form and email it to Pauline by Monday 21 August 2017. More information about the poster exhibition is available here: Call for Posters.

Back to top

More information about the Conference is available on the SPPC website, and you can book your place here: online registration

Back to top