Our Specialist Palliative Care Team teamed up with colleagues at Overgate and Kirkwood Hospices  for our 2nd Annual Bridging the Gap (BtG) study day for FY2 doctors from across the Yorkshire Deanery.

The BtG days are run by various specialities to allow FY2s some insight into the options available for their careers. However, as palliative care will form part of doctors in most adult specialities, it also gives an excellent opportunity to educate this part of the workforce in essential skills.

The FY2s were able to learn from Consultants and CNSs from Specialist Palliative Care, covering a range of topics including communication skills, DNACPR conversations, ethics and oncological emergencies. They were also able to watch expert communication skills in action using actors to simulate patients or relatives

30 FY2s attended the event on March 1 and the feedback has again been excellent. Here's some:

1.            Excellent day – easily one of the best I have attended. Well planned and well organised with enthusiastic, friendly tutors and relevant content that was presented well

2.            Well organised, enthusiastic teachers – Practical advice and role play was really good

3.            Overall excellent and provided a good insight into DNACPR and palliative care

4.            Role play sessions very valuable – useful to watch and then been able to ask questions to the people involved

5.            Very useful and excellent day overall – Would highly recommend to others

Pictured are the delegates, with on the front row, L to right: Helen Harris (Hospital Macmillan CNS Palliative Care), Dr Mary Kiely (Consultant in Palliative Medicine, CHFT) and Andrew Gammon (Community Services Manager, Kirkwood Hospice). The day was expertly co-ordinated by Gareth Hirst in the Learning Department.

It is planned that another similar day will be run in 2018.