The MSc Integrated Palliative & End of Life Care Masters trains frontline clinical staff to provide better care for patients and their families through research-led service improvements.
Julie Davidson, clinical co-ordinator for the Southport-based Queenscourt at Home service which supports patients and family carers in their own homes, said the new course had enhanced her knowledge and skills, opening up new opportunities.
Julie, from Preston, is one of the first cohort of students to graduate from the programme. She won the University’s Pat Swain Prize in recognition of the clinical and academic excellence of her advanced practice project which explored the important role played by family carers.
Barbara Jack, Professor of Palliative and End of Life Care in Edge Hill’s Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine, explained how impactful the new Masters and Julie’s work will be for patients and family members who provide vital informal care.
“Julie’s project has been crucial in acknowledging the role and needs of family carers. Without support for informal family carers, the wishes and preferences of patients cannot possibly be met.
“This work has the potential to increase the number of patients who can be cared for in their own homes and improve the bereavement experience for family carers.”
Barbara Jack
Thanks to Julie’s expertise, Queenscourt at Home’s healthcare professionals have been trained to recognise and support family carers, ensuring their individual needs are assessed.
“Those facing the final journey of their lives rely heavily on those important to them, mainly family carers, to provide physical, practical, social, spiritual and emotional support, often 24 hours a day.
“This takes an enormous toll on family carers themselves, yet they desperately want to do their very best for those they love, and their own needs are often suppressed.
“Julie has hugely improved our ability to identify those family carers and as a result they have been able to discuss what they can do to ensure their own needs are met, without feeling guilty or selfish.”
Dr Karen Groves MBE, education lead at Queenscourt Hospice
The MSc Integrated Palliative & End of Life Care programme trains healthcare professionals including nurses, doctors and paramedics to assess the needs of patients and their families, manage symptoms and address physical, psychological, spiritual and social concerns.
As part of this year’s graduation celebrations Edge Hill University awarded study prizes to 32 exceptional students in recognition of achievements such as securing the highest marks, writing exceptional dissertations or excelling in practical placements.
The full list of study prize winners are:
- Brady Locke-King – The Royal Society of Biology prize
- Lydia Horne, Mabel Letman, Joseph Morris, Ayva-Mae, Rebecca Kliszat – The Lisa Ratcliffe Study Prize
- Holly McGlynn – The Ernest Cook Trust Award
- Kacper Przybylski – British Psychological Society Prize
- Abbie Hanson, Giovambattista Cutuli – Chartered Institute of Marketing Prize
- Daniel Buck – The Liverpool Society of Chartered Accountants Prize
- Jack Smith – The Hazel Richardson Study prize
- Alannah Seavers – The Anne Proctor Study Prize
- Ann Coffey – The John McManus Prize
- Drew Shackleton – The Faculty Study Prize
- Julie Davidson – The Pat Swain Prize
- Helen Highton, Noreen Sargent, Jennifer Turay – The Faculty Study Prize
- Helena Gordon – The Joanne Leadbetter Prize
- Courtney Cowan, Cian Gwyn, Malwina Nawojczk, Liam Blackburn, Andrew Headington, Owen Williams, Jack Gornall, Oliver Coyne, Michael Gregory, James Early, Ross Langham, Oliver Cooke – The Paul Cannon Memorial Award
Discover more about our courses by visiting www.edgehill.ac.uk/study.
July 28, 2023
