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30 September 2024

Cicely Saunders Institute publishes its triennial report

Find out how Cicely Saunders Institute has been making a difference in palliative care during the period 2020-2023.

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The Cicely Saunders Institute (CSI) triennial report has been published, highlighting key clinical, research, education, and advocacy work undertaken by the Institute with its partners.

The report sees the launch of CSI’s renewed Vision and Mission and its continued commitment to strive for excellence in research, education and clinical practice to improve palliative care and reduce inequalities for all, meeting the changing needs of global populations from childhood to the oldest old.

Highlights include:

  • Commemorating over 10 years since the opening of the Institute in 2010, and dozens of UK, Europe, and world-leading research projects focused on improving care for the most vulnerable. This was marked with a special visit from Her Royal Highness Princess Anne.
  • Widened access to palliative care including:
    • An expansion of palliative care clinical services to seven days per week at King’s College Hospital and Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospitals.
    • A transition to hyflex teaching for the Palliative Care MSc widening access for study fully remotely, in-person or hybrid.
    • A new co-produced Patient and Public Involvement strategy to realise our ambition to expand, diversify, and increase inclusive opportunities for public involvement across all aspects of our work.
  • Major collaborative programmes of research including:
    • Better End of Life programme, led by researchers at the Cicely Saunders Institute with Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, and the University of Cambridge. This work shone a spotlight on the impact of Covid-19 on dying, death, and bereavement across the UK, drawing on published data, experiences of caregivers, and new analysis of mortality trends across the UK.
    • Global Health Research Group on Global Health and Palliative Care (GHAP), a £2.7 million programme building research capacity in palliative care in sub-Saharan Africa and expanding access to palliative care in Uganda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
    • Empowering Better End of Life Dementia Care (EMBED-Care), a £4.7 million joint research programme between the Cicely Saunders Institute and the Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, University College London. EMBED-Care brought together the specialist areas of palliative care and dementia care to leverage a step change in the provision of palliative care for people with dementia and their families.
    • Better Treatments for Refractory Breathlessness (BETTER-B), a €3.7million, international, multicentre, randomised controlled trial testing a new treatment for managing breathlessness that persists despite optimal treatment of the underlying respiratory disease.

 Download a copy of the Cicely Saunders Insitute triannual report 2020 - 2023.

2020-2023 has been a time of change, innovation and reflection, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuing learning to realise equality in palliative care provision for all. With our renewed Vision and Mission, I have no doubt that we will continue to remain at the forefront of palliative care and rehabilitiation research, education and clinical care and maximise our impact, making a difference in palliative care by integrating cutting-edge research, skilled multidisciplinary care and innovating education.

Catherine Evans, Director of the Cicely Saunders Institute

In this story

Catherine Evans

Interim Director of Cicely Saunders Institute and Professor of Palliative Care