ST RAPHAEL'S HOSPICE HOSTS NATIONAL PALLIATIVE CARE CONFERENCE
Sister Mary Damian (Senior Sister at St Raphael's Hospice); Professor Ian Gilmore (President of the Royal College of Physicians); and Dr Marie Joseph (Medical Director of St Raphael's Hospice)
St Raphael's Hospice has been acknowledged as a centre of excellence in the specialist field of Palliative (end of life) care when 70 health care professionals from all over the UK including hospital consultants, staff from other hospices, GP's, Social Workers and District Nurses attended a two-day conference organised by St Raphael's (9th & 10 April 2008 ). The Conference was entitled " Challenges in Palliative Care" and covered a wide range of issues affecting palliative (end of life) care.
The Opening Address was given by Professor Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians. Professor Gilmore congratulated St Raphael's on its 20th Anniversary year, and noted that it was also in 1987 that the Royal College of Physicians created Palliiative (end of life) Care as a medical speciality. He said there are now over 200 doctors in the UK specialising in this field of medicine and he acknowledged the work of St Raphael's Hospice, which is an accredited centre for the training of new palliative care doctors. He also referred to the lack of Government funding for hospices like St Raphael's, which relies on charity fundraising for over 70% of its costs, and urged the government to increase the money available for hospice care.
The 1st lecture was given by Dr Marie Joseph, Medical Director at St Raphael's, who is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. She spoke about the advances made in the relief of severe cancer pain for terminally ill patients, improving their quality of life and giving comfort and dignity. She added that for many people the word "hospice" still implies a place where people go to and then die. But Dr Joseph explained that in reality many patients are able to return home for a further period of time, once their pain and symptoms have been relieved through the specialised treatments that palliative care can offer.
Other speakers at the Conference included Professor Michael Brada, Professor of Clinical Oncology (a specialist in Cancer treatment) at the Royal Marsden Hospital who spoke about the treatment of Lung Cancer; Dr Frank Saran, Consultant Neuro-Oncologist also at the Royal Marsden, whose speciality is dealing with Brain Tumours, and Dr Mary Clarke, Consultant Haematologist and Dr Martine Meyer, Palliative Care Consultant, both from St Helier Hospital, Carshalton. Other subjects covered included Bereavement and Family support, Motor Neurone Disease, Tissue Donation and Sexuality in palliative care patients. Speakers from St Raphael's Hospice included the Matron, Marjolijn Ford, Ward Sister Del Hughes, Community Palliative Care Team Leader, Gail Linehan, Social Worker Carol Irvine, Nurse Counsellor Gabby Thorpe, Bereavement Counsellor Eugene Doyle and Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Steven Greer.
The Conference also took on an international feel, when Dr Guy Bryant, a Senior Radiation Oncologist from Queensland, Australia was welcomed by the St Raphael's Medical Director.
Commenting afterwards, Dr Marie Joseph, Medical Director of St Raphael's Hospice said: "It was a real pleasure to hold this conference, and share our expertise and experience with so many health professionals from all over the UK, who all deal with different aspects of end of life care. Palliative care has made tremendous advances in the 20 years since it became a medical speciality, and throughout those 20 years St Raphael's has also been serving the local communities of Sutton and Merton. So this conference was a double celebration"
The Conference was organised by Dr Joseph, with the Hospice's Education Secretary, Gill Bantock who regularly organises training sessions at the hospice for health professionals
