Advancing Education and Practice in Palliative and Person-Centred Care
Caru programme, continues to support the development of healthcare professionals across a range of settings. Through targeted teaching sessions, educational partnerships, and practical training initiatives, this work promotes the principles of palliative and person-centred care, with a particular focus on communication and advance care planning. The following updates highlight recent engagements with students and healthcare staff, demonstrating a continued commitment to building knowledge, confidence, and quality in care delivery.
Developing Future Healthcare Professionals
Regional Lead, Janet Tobin Martin, recently engaged with healthcare students from the Health Care Assistant and Emergency Services programmes at Carlow Institute of Further Education (KCETB). This session provided an opportunity to introduce students to the mission of Irish Hospice Foundation and to outline the key components of the Caru programme.
The discussion explored the importance of effective communication in delivering person-centred care, the different levels of palliative care, and the significance of advance care planning. Emphasis was placed on preparing students to approach care with both competence and compassion.
Such collaborative engagements play a vital role in strengthening students’ confidence and enhancing their learning experience, while also supporting the development of a future workforce equipped to deliver high-quality care.
Advance Care Planning Education for Nursing Home Staff
A series of four one-hour online advance care planning (ACP) sessions were recently delivered across CHO5 by Regional Lead, Janet Tobin Martin. These sessions were designed to provide nursing home staff with practical guidance and updated knowledge to support ACP discussions with residents.
Key areas addressed included the importance of ACP within the nursing home setting, the roles and responsibilities of staff in the ACP process, and approaches to initiating conversations with residents and their families, both in planned and opportunistic contexts. The sessions also highlighted the necessity of completing accurate and appropriate ACP documentation.
Each session concluded with an interactive scenario, enabling participants to apply their learning in a practical and engaging manner. The sessions were tailored to meet the needs of nursing home and older persons’ services staff and can be arranged directly through the relevant Regional Lead.
Advancing Knowledge Among Postgraduate Students
Janet Tobin Martin was also invited to deliver a session to postgraduate students at South East Technological University (SETU) as part of their palliative care module. The session focused on advance care planning, with particular attention to its practical application and its role in supporting person-centred care.
A central theme of the session was the development of communication skills required to initiate and sustain meaningful discussions with patients and their families. These conversations are often sensitive, yet essential in understanding individual values, preferences, and goals for care.
The importance of clear and consistent documentation was also emphasised, particularly in the context of care delivered across multiple healthcare settings. Accurate documentation ensures that patients’ wishes are respected and upheld, maintaining their voice in decision-making regardless of where care is provided.
Gerontology Education Session at St James’s Hospital
A teaching session was recently delivered by Regional Lead, Sarah McDonald (CHO7), to gerontology students at St James’s Hospital. The session provided an overview of the work of Irish Hospice Foundation and the multidisciplinary teams involved in delivering palliative, end-of-life, and bereavement care.
The role of the Caru programme in promoting quality, person-centred care across healthcare settings was a key focus. Core topics included the principles of palliative and end-of-life care, as well as the importance of compassionate bereavement support.
Particular emphasis was placed on effective communication in relation to advance care directives, ensuring that individuals’ wishes are explicitly discussed, clearly documented, and consistently respected. The session also addressed different types of grief and coping strategies, encouraging students to reflect on both patient experiences and their own emotional responses to loss.
Feedback from participants was highly positive, with students noting the practical relevance and reflective nature of the session. Following this engagement, an invitation has been extended to deliver a further session in 2027.