Lancaster University signs partnership agreement with Trinity Hospice

Lancaster University and Trinity Hospice and Palliative Care Services have signed a partnership agreement aiming to enhance training of palliative care through research opportunities in the Lancashire area.

A signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by Vice Chancellor of Lancaster University, Professor Andy Schofield, and Chairman of Trinity Hospice, Nigel Law on 12th November signified the start of the partnership.

The agreement upholds the university’s 2021 Strategic Plans to 2026 that strives to deliver transformative, sustainable and innovative change to the surrounding area.

The Trinity Hospice helps 8,000 people per year through its inpatient and home services. It is also known for its endeavour to provide services for hard to reach patients such as individuals with no fixed address or those with a history of substance abuse.

At the signing, Professor Andy Schofield said: “Our research in palliative and end-of-life care, embodied in our International Observatory on End-of-Life Care, is world-leading – and is always strengthened through our partnerships with organisations and individuals who share our values.”

Whilst the hospice gains the formal accreditation of being a ‘university hospice’, this does not provide the same specialisation as a NHS Trust accreditation. Instead, it establishes a mutually beneficial relationship for both parties by simultaneously improving hospice services and strengthening research opportunities for the university’s Palliative Medicine department.

Dr Amy Gadoud, Senior Lecturer in Palliative Medicine at Lancaster University, Honorary Consultant at Trinity Hospice, and arranger of the partnership said: “the agreement is celebrating the work [the hospice] already do with Lancaster University and cementing our partnership to secure the future of research at Trinity Hospice.”

Additionally, Chief Executive of the Hospice, David Houston, said: “the partnership provides the opportunity to explore new things, gain new insights, make mistakes and learn from them and imagine new meanings.”