The Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre brings together researchers, health and social care professionals from a range of disciplines, patients, families and members of the public to find and help deliver the best palliative care services and treatments.
We conduct palliative care research, and provide education and information relevant to the needs of people living with and dying from serious illness, their families and communities. We aim to improve quality of life and reduce inequalities in care, especially those driven by socio-economic status and diagnosis.
We are committed to involving patients, carers, families and local communities as active partners in shaping our research. We want to make sure that people with many different perspectives and experiences have the chance to influence what we do and how we do it. This helps us to focus on what really matters to people.
Our research is currently or has been previously funded by the following organisations. We are very grateful for their support so we can make a real difference to palliative care.
Creating Connections Palliative Care Conference
Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre and University Of Technology Sydney
Wednesday 10 February 2021
We are delighted to jointly host the Creating Connections Palliative Care Conference.
This free-to-attend event is open to all with an interest in palliative care for people with advanced and chronic illnesses. It provides an opportunity to see some of the exciting and leading-edge research being undertaken as part of our collaboration funded by the Research England's International Investment Initiative (I3).
More information
What is palliative care?
Palliative care is the active total care of people with progressive, life-limiting illness to help them to live well through control of symptoms, support for psychological, social and spiritual concerns and care for their families and friends.
Palliative care can be applied as an extra layer of care alongside treatment of medical conditions which aims to cure or prolong life. It should be available according to need, and not restricted by diagnosis or prognosis.
Discover more about our Centre and our research
The work of the Centre is making a real difference to patient’s lives – and their families too. Discover more about our inspirational people and our impactful research through our pages below.
If you are inspired by our research and you would like to collaborate, visit or study with us, please do get in touch: WolfsonPallCare@hyms.ac.uk
Latest Wolfson news
Take part in our IMBO Delphi survey
Malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) remains a challenging condition facing palliative care teams. We are conducting a survey to help us to identify which measures are the most important for clinical research, and which are most relevant to patients.
Read more
New paper: Implementing person-centred outcome measures in palliative care
Evidence shows that using person-centred outcome measures improves care, yet palliative care professionals do not always use these measures. We interviewed palliative care professionals about using outcome measures, and derived five steps to help them use outcome measures well: 1) select the right measures, 2) understand their value to improve care, 3) work to ‘normalise’ the use of outcome measures, 4) get the right electronic systems in place, and 5) make sure there is a ‘feedback loop’ to improve care.
Read the paper or download the policy briefing
Our response to Covid-19
Our palliative care experts are working with health professionals, partners, patients and members of the public to improve palliative care for people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more
Dorothy Robson Prize Winners 2020
We’re very proud that 4 out of the 6 Dorothy Robson prizes awarded at Annual Student Prizegiving were won by Medicine and PhD students for their research in the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre. The winners are: Mohammed Khan (Medicine student) and Sophie Pask, Sunitha Daniel and Ugochinyere Nwulu (PhD students). Read more
ERS Scientific Working Group 09.04
Ann Hutchinson is part of the new European Respiratory Society Scientific Working Group 09.04, who will support psychological and behavioural aspects of respiratory care, in order to improve multidisciplinary clinical practice, education, and research.
Read the paper
Spotlight on: Global Palliative Care
Access to palliative care, particularly in low and middle income countries, is one of the world's health largest inequalities. Here at the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre, we are developing collaborations and workstreams to address some of these issues.
Read more