GP partnership to improve care

Marie Curie and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) have entered a three-year partnership to improve the end of life care provided to patients by GPs.

One of the first steps is the appointment of Dr Peter Nightingale, a new clinical lead for End of Life Care (EOLC), who will work part-time with the Royal College and Marie Curie. 

He will lead a programme of work that will improve primary care provision for patients nearing the end of their life, including vulnerable patients such as those with dementia and learning disabilities.

Dr Adam Firth has also been appointed as RCGP Clinical Support Fellow for End of Life Care to work alongside Dr Nightingale.

The three-year programme will prioritise advanced care planning; patient choice of place of death; pain management; health inequalities, and commissioning issues.

Marie Curie Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Imelda Redmond, said
“We are delighted with the appointment of Peter Nightingale to this important post. Given the choice, most of us would want to die at home surrounded by the people and things we cherish, but this does not always happen.  GPs play an essential role in caring for patients at the end of their lives – especially those who are cared for at home.
 
“We want to improve end of life care for all patients and that means working effectively with GPs. One of the most exciting things about this project is that it will cut across several other major themes which the Royal College already focuses on - including dementia, cancer, rare diseases and COPD.  We see this partnership as a defining moment in improving end of life care and helping GPs to deliver the best possible support to people with end of life needs.”

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