After the Neurology Academy’s recent successful development of separate Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis and dementia training streams, the Neurology Academy has now taken another step to launch a Palliative Care MasterClass.
Palliative care has long been a part of the Parkinson’s MasterClass, and following increasing interest in this area the Academy is now expanding this subject area into a course of its own which blends cutting edge research with established clinical practice.
The MasterClass, which will be held in Manchester this winter, is specifically aimed at health professionals who are involved in the palliative care of patients with Parkinson’s and dementia.
A great deal of the treatment offered to patients with Parkinson’s and dementia is after all palliative in nature, so it is important that the key principles of palliation are at the heart of care delivery.
The course will highlight how for many newly diagnosed patients at the early stages of disease, some will have important palliative care needs which are important to address, such as concerns around advanced care planning (ACP). Delegates will consider how and when to consider ACP in the context of cognitive impairment.
The MasterClass will be delivered by the Neurology Academy’s expert faculty, led by Dr Ed Richfield, a Consultant Geriatrician at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, to help advance skills and knowledge for a range of professionals, including allied health professionals, doctors (grade SpR and above), specialist nurses, community teams and GPs.
The one-day course will focus on the individual conditions and their practical management, taking time to consider commonly encountered medications and their side effects, and the particular palliative issues faced by patients in both conditions, including needs in the terminal stages.
The course will introduce specific palliative assessment tools for each condition, and look at approaches to assessment and management of common areas of unmet need, which for Parkinson’s can include pain, urinary symptoms, nausea, constipation, and poor swallow. Patients with dementia also commonly experience problems with pain, as well as behavioural and psychological symptoms and impaired sleep.
The day will also include a look at service delivery, with consideration of integrated service design for neurological conditions, and an evaluation of delegates’ own service delivery.
The Neurology Academy’s educational model has an emphasis on interactive learning in small groups, and delegates will complete the day with a discussion about the opportunities for improvement and how examples of good practice can be spread and incorporated elsewhere.
Experience tells us however that the conversations will not stop there: as with each MasterClass delegates form an invaluable peer network to draw on for sharing expertise, advice and support long after the course is over.
Palliative Care MasterClass
27 November 2017, Manchester
Cost: £275 plus VAT
Applications to join the course are now open, for more information visit www.neurologyacademy.org
