RCPE Online Symposium: Palliative Medicine

Wednesday

22 January

2025

Horizontal

Overview

Palliative care refers to the relieving of symptoms in patients with advanced and progressive illness. Health care professionals encounter patients who have palliative care needs frequently and in a variety of clinical settings. The success of modern medicine has led to increased life expectancy and this often means that most people die with multiple morbidities. Managing the complexities of decision making, balancing the value of interventions and controlling symptoms in this population can be challenging to clinicians.

This symposia will provide thought-provoking insights on the experiences of patients and their families who have palliative care needs. Attendees will learn something which they can apply to their practice, as well as hearing about the future and international challenges of palliative care.

Topics included are:

Managing the symptoms of breathlessness, bowel obstruction and pain
Palliation in cardiovascular diseases
Changing palliative care needs in the context of increasing multi-morbidity
Caring for dying people
Global palliative care

The symposium will be of interest to clinicians in medical specialties especially palliative and acute medicine as well as GP’s, community palliative nurses and medical trainees.

Please note that this event will be online only.

Members of Organising Committee

Dr Stephen Fenning (Chair)

Dr Sarah Bowers

Dr Helen Morgan

Dr Kim Steel

Dr Nicola Williams

Applying for 6 CPD credits

Booking for this event closes on 12 February 2025, which still allows 7 days to watch the talks on catch-up, before the attendance/feedback survey closes and the talks are no longer generally available. Some talks will still be available after this date to Fellows and Members.

All delegates will have catch-up access to all talks for 28 days following the live event.

CPD

Please note in keeping with Federation regulations CPD certificates can only be sent to those who have completed the attendance/feedback survey before the close, which is 19 February 2025, 28 days following the live event.

We cannot extend past this date so please ensure you complete the survey before this date te receive your CPD credit certificate.

Programme

Wednesday 22 January 2025

09:25

Welcome
Professor Andrew Elder, President, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

Session 1 - Clinical masterclass part 1 - update on end of life care

Chair: Dr Stephen Fenning, Consultant Palliative Medicine, NHS Fife

09:30	Nausea, vomiting and bowel obstruction Dr Helen Morgan, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust * assessment of nausea and vomiting in palliative care * practical advice on the management of nausea and vomiting on bowel obstruction * medication discussion and framework for medication selection * evidence-based discussion on the management of malignant bowel obstruction
10:05	Caring for the dying person Dr Sarah Pickstock, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, NHS Dumfries and Galloway * practical session on the care of the dying person * identifying deteriorating health and patients entering the dying phase * supporting carers * practical prescribing at the end of life
10:40	Multimorbidity Dr Sarah Bowers, Clinical PhD Fellow and Palliative Medicine/Internal Medicine Registrar, NHS Tayside * current and future challenges of caring for those with multimorbidity * lived experiences of dying with multimorbidity * discuss how healthcare services can evolve to meet the needs of this group
11:15	Break

Session 2 - Palliative care beyond the physical

Chair: Dr Sarah Bowers, Clinical PhD Fellow and Palliative Medicine/Internal Medicine Registrar, NHS Tayside

11:40

Breathlessness at the edge of life
Professor Havi Carel, Professor of Philosophy, University of Bristol
* breathlessness and liminal experiences * phenomenology vs symptoms * philosophical support in thinking about death * shared vulnerability

12:15

KEYNOTE - JOHN HAMILTON BROWN LECTURE
Chair: Professor Andrew Elder, President, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

Time Toxicity - The Most Important Toxicity in Cancer Treatment?
Speaker: Arjun Gupta, MD, Assistant Professor, Medical Oncology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

@guptaarjun90
* time toxicity and how to measure it * understanding patient preferences * relevance beyond the oncology setting

13:00

Break

Session 3 - Clinical masterclass part 2 - palliating diseases of the vascular system

Chair: Dr Helen Morgan, Consultant Palliative Medicine, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

13:45	Heart failure Dr Honey Thomas, Consultant Cardiologist, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust * trajectories in heart failure * de-prescribing in heart failure * managing patients with end-stage heart failure in the community
14:20	Venous thromboembolism in palliative care Professor Simon Noble, Marie Curie Professor in Supportive and Palliative Medicine & Director of the Division of Population Medicine at Cardiff University * when to treat and when to stop treating * utility of thromboprophylaxis * challenging scenarios in cancer associated thrombosis
14:55	Stroke disease - palliation and truth telling Dr Matthew Lambert, Consultant in Stroke and Medicine for the Elderly, NHS Tayside and National Clinical Lead for Stroke and Stroke Specialty Advisor to the CMO & Dr Jenny Mullin, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, NHS Fife * symptom management * prognostication and decision making around nutritian and hydration * communicating uncertainty
15:30	Break

Session 4 - Living and dying in 2024 and beyond

Chair: tbc

15:50	Decolonising end of life care Dr Christian Ntizimira, Founder/Executive Director, African Center for Research on End of Life Care, Rwanda * delivering palliative care to cancer patient in Rwanda * Ubuntu - why culture matters * advance care planning in Rwanda
16:25	Dying safely Dr Kathryn Mannix, Retired Consultant, Palliative Medicine and author of With the End in Mind and Listen * the concept of vulnerability at the end of life * discussing the process of dying * discussing future care planning
17:00	Thanks and closing remarks

Fees

Attendance options

Online booking for this event closes on 12 February 2025, which will still allow 7 days to watch the talks on-demand, before the feedback survey closes and the talks are no longer generally available. Some talks will still be available after this date to Fellows and Members - please contact the Symposium Coordinator for further information.

Registration fees - for online and on-demand attendance
	Fee £
Delegate (Non-RCPE Member)	265
RCPE Member (Collegiate & Associate) & Fellow discounted rate	165
Allied Health Professional	165
RCPE retired Fellow and RCPE Foundation Member	70
RCPE Fellow in low or lower-middle income country, RCPE Student Member	0

Long term / other leave – Fellows and Members, please contact the Symposium Co-ordinator as some discretion may be available.

Collegiate and Associate Members of the RCPE in clinical research posts may be eligible for funding - please contact the Symposium Co-ordinator for further information.

Trainees – Scotland Deanery medical specialty trainees can attend any number of eligible symposia for a one-off payment from their study leave budget (block grant scheme).

Invoices

If you wish us to invoice an employer/organisation, please contact the Symposium Coordinator. Payment via invoice is not available for online booking.

Free places

Unpaid post – Nil if confirmation of status provided a member of RCPE – please contact the Symposium Co-ordinator.

Refugee doctors – free places are available to refugee doctors who are Associate Members of the College. Associate Membership for refugee doctors is available free of charge. Please visit our website for instructions on how to join, and then apply to the Symposium Co-ordinator for your free place.

Cancellation policy

If you have to cancel your place within three days of this event, we regret that we are unable to provide a refund. However, you may nominate someone else to take your place at the discretion of the event co-ordinator.

The event will be available to view on-demand for 28 days after the livestream event, therefore, there is still opportunity to view the talks if you are not able to attend on the day.

Further Information

This event is open to all grades of medical, health care and scientific staff and to students. If you are unsure about eligibility, or the correct fee category, please contact the RCPE member of staff responsible for the event (see Fees page).

Please note that on occasion event programmes may be subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances.

Certificates

All relevant events are approved for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). To receive a CPD certificate delegates must have completed the online feedback survey. The survey will close 28 days after the original broadcast of the event, with certificates being issued shortly after this.

Certificates cannot be issued after the survey has closed.

Venue:

Online, RCPE, Edinburgh, EH2 1JQ

#rcpePallMed25

Event Coordinator

Marie Allan

Telephone

+ 44 (0)131 247 3680

Email

m.allan@rcpe.ac.uk